Scolari admits to Chile match nerves
Print Edition
BRAZIL’S World Cup round of 16 game against confident Chile today brings with it a higher level of nervousness and insecurity, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said.
The five-time champions are carrying the weighty expectations of an entire nation on their shoulders and anything but victory at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte would equal disaster and deflate local enthusiasm for the tournament.
“It is normal for us to feel that we have some problem, something that makes us anxious especially now in the knockout stage where we cannot lose,” Scolari, who led Brazil to their last World Cup win in 2002, told reporters yesterday.
Chile are considered dark horses in this tournament after beating holders Spain.
Meanwhile, the absence of their teams’ star strikers has allowed Colombia’s James Rodriguez and Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani to take centre-stage for today’s other World Cup last-16 clash in Rio de Janeiro.
Rodriguez has assumed responsibility for leading the Colombian attack after a knee injury robbed Colombia of his Monaco team-mate Radamel Falcao. Luis Suarez’s biting ban leaves Cavani carrying the expectation of Uruguay.
The 22-year-old Rodriguez’ 45 million euros ($61 million) move to Monaco from Porto made him the second most expensive Colombian player in history behind Falcao. But both transfers were eclipsed by Cavani’s switch to Paris from Napoli for 64 million euros.
The most expensive player in Ligue 1 history, Cavani enjoyed a fine start to the season, only for his form to fall away in the second half of the campaign.
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