Brazil faced off against Tunisia in Paris in a friendly Tuesday night. While the Brazilians won 5-1, the Tunisians attempted severe challenges and tackles on Neymar, irking boss Tite.
Brazil played its final international warm-up game before the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, as it faced off against Tunisia at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The Brazilians were on top form, hammering five against the Tunisians and winning the tie comfortably 5-1, leading 4-1 at half-time. The scorers for Samba happened to be Raphinha (11), Richarlison (19), Neymar (29), Raphinha (40) and Pedro (74). While Montassar Talbi (18) scored the only consolation for the Eagles of Carthage, Dylan Bronn's red card was a severe setback for them as he tried to bring down Neymar, irking Brazilian head coach Tite.
Emitting to the media following the success, Tite said, "We were in an atmosphere where most of the fans were from Tunisia. I tried to locate our fans at some points, but they diluted. It has created an atmosphere of competitive play. The game on the pitch – we knew it would be competitive and loyal, but I didn't imagine the move that happened to Neymar. It's a move to take a player out of the World Cup."
"We try to make two friendlies with teams in the World Cup because the demand is very high, physical, technical and mental. Tunisia had seven games unbeaten. The competitive spirit doesn't allow you to play a friendly that doesn't have an emotional clash, so we wanted to prepare, and we were going to take that risk, yes. But, it's what we decided," added Tite, reports FotMob.
Brazil remains on a 15-match undefeated streak and would be heading into the World Cup on a confident note. It would be desperate to win the world champions for a record-extending sixth time. At the same time, despite being a winter event in Qatar, the humid conditions would favour the Sambas, making them a firm favourite.