Manchester United duo Casemiro and Matheus Cunha started Brazil’s glamour friendly against France.
Carlo Ancelotti named a strong Brazil team to face France in their international friendly in Orlando. But it was Didier Deschamps side who won the game 2-1.
Kylian Mbappe scored in the first half with Hugo Ekitike adding a second, before defender Gleison Bremer pulled a goal back for Brazil.
Casemiro played 84 minutes and Matheus Cunha played 71. It was not a great night for the Manchester United pair, but few Brazil players came out with real credit. Raphinha was taken off at half-time while Vinicius Jr failed to land a shot on target.
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Brazilian press verdict
There was mixed reaction in Brazil to the Manchester United pair.
Team captain Casemiro was rated 5/10 by newspaper Globo, who reflected on the positives and negatives of his performance.
They wrote: “He faltered on France’s first goal, being dispossessed and giving rise to the counter-attack.
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“On the other hand, he was important both with and without the ball. He made good passes, attempted shots, and worked hard to close down spaces and make tackles.”
Casemiro also picked up a first half booking for a show of dissent towards the referee.
ESPN Brasil also gave him a 5/10, commenting: “He was dominating the midfield until he made the mistake that led to the counter-attack and Mbappe’s goal, which opened the scoring.
“He had moments of losing control with the referee and a rather discreet performance until the end.”
Cunha was also rated a 5/10, with Globo noting that he was largely ineffective in front of goal despite his clever movement.
“He moved around a lot to provide passing options and help create plays. He only took one shot, in the 34th minute of the first half, from outside the penalty area.”
ESPN Brasil gave the same rating, writing: “Good runs and ball control, but without contributing as much to the attack as one would expect from someone in his position.”
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Brazil have one more friendly
Brazil play another friendly in the US next week against Croatia, the team who knocked them out of the 2022 World Cup.
It is unclear if Ancelotti will name another strong side or totally rotate his options.
Casemiro has little to prove, he is a guaranteed starter for the World Cup despite an up and down performance against France.
Cunha also has a strong chance of starting at USA ’26, but he still has a bit more to prove.
He has only scored one goal for Brazil in 20 appearances, with that goal coming in March 2025. Brazil fans expect more.
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