The victory of France against Brazil (2-1) on Thursday in a friendly match highlighted the difference in level between the two teams, according to the Brazilian press, worried less than three months before the World Cup.
“No one was caught off guard.” The Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte obviously did not expect an exploit from Brazil against France on Thursday in a friendly match in Foxborough, in the suburbs of Boston. And it did not happen as the Blues won 2-1 despite being outnumbered for almost 40 minutes. “France’s victory over Brazil last Thursday shows its consistency. And recognizing our limits is the best we can do two and a half months before the World Cup,” the newspaper says.
“The France of Mbappé puts Brazil on its knees”
Fatalism prevails in the media facing the level of the Seleção which was only considered to be applied rather than flamboyant. For UOL Esporte, this French victory is seen as “a reality check.” Spain, too, had its eyes on this match which saw two stars from Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. And the French captain, who scored the first goal with a superb lob, won the long-distance duel. He was praised for “the samba of the Turtle.” “On an afternoon when the hares were rampant, the turtle triumphed,” the journal describes. “Another example of this never-ending story. Kylian shone during a demonstration supposed to highlight him. And confirm that Brazil is still far from the level required by this shirt.”
“The France of Mbappé puts Brazil on its knees,” as pointed out by the other Madrid sports newspaper, Marca. The Argentinian media Olé, meanwhile, makes fun of the two goals scored by France against a “tepid Brazil.”
“The gap in level between France and Brazil was already an open secret.”
A shared observation in Brazil. “The differences between the two teams were admirably highlighted,” says Globo Esporte editorialist Alexandre Alliatti. “France has a superior group of players. More importantly, this group operates with much greater precision than the Brazilian team, as evidenced by the offensive spontaneity of the European team; at times, during passing exchanges, the opponents seemed able to play with their eyes closed.”
The newspapers note that there is still much work to be done within the Seleção, especially in defense where “it is possible that none of the defenders fielded on Thursday will be starters in the World Cup, and some may not even be called up.” “Remembering that there are superior teams to ours can only be beneficial,” concludes the article.
His fellow editorialist, Rodrigo Coutinho, however, found fewer reasons to rejoice. “The gap in level between France and Brazil was already an open secret before the match,” he points out. “The question was how that would translate on the field. This revelation was worrying for the Brazilian team, which could not truly dominate its opponents, even after Upamecano’s expulsion ten minutes after the start of the second half.”
