Robinho Looses the Rope

By: Bruno Romani | July 1st, 2007

In Game 2 in the countdown for the departure of Dunga, Robinho decided to loose the rope around the neck of his boss. By the color, pink, of Dunga, he did not deserve it.

Brazil started the match very slow, with few options in the midfield and with a having a hard-time to conduct the ball out of its defense. Anderson and Elano, the two players chosen to feed the attack, did very little. Mineiro and Gilberto Silva, despite being good defensive midfielders, have limited skills to start offensive plays. With that, the ball was always in the feet of defenders, the worst way of starting anything.

It took 26 minutes to brainless Brazil shoot, and 30 minutes for a ball to scare the Chileans. The team decided to focus in the right side, centralizing the balls with Daniel Alves, who replaced Maicon. An injury took Maicon away from the game. In the meantime, Robinho fluctuated in different portions of the field, but with little help from the rest of the team.

Then, at the 35th mark into the game, the referee decided to help Brazil and Dunga. He saw a penalty-kick in a ball crossed. Finally, Brazil would have the chance to have a shot in the target. Robinho took it. The keeper jumped to the right side, but not enough to block Brazil’s first goal in the tournament. The goal was so wrong in terms of telling the story of the match, that it felt Brazil still needed to pursue its first goal.

The second-half came with another of Dunga’s hard to explain substitutions. He put in Júlio Baptista to replace Anderson. Baptista is not a skilled offensive midfielder that serves and feeds strikers, but Dunga chose him to do that. Baptista is the type who plays almost as a third forward. In the meantime, the coach decided to keep the two defensive midfielders, and Elano, who usually serves almost as a defensive midfielder who knows how to pass the ball, but who is far from being a classic playmaker.

The match followed boring, with no thrill, except when goalkeeper Doni touched the ball. With 25 minutes Chile missed the chance to tie the match. Gilberto saved the ball almost under the post. Unbelievable!

Five minutes later, Elano left got injured. The chance for Dunga to have somebody like Diego, or another striker (well, having Afonso as the only option doesn’t really help). Dunga, instead, decided that he needed to preserve the 1-0 victory, got through a penalty that did not exist, against the “all powerful” Chilean squad. Josué, São Paulo’s main defensive midfielder, went to the match. With that Brazil had 3 classic defensive midfielders and Júlio Baptista doing the playmaking. Not very promising…

But Robinho has the magical touch and moves. And he decided to save the ass of his boss. First, after a rebound from the Chilean defense, the ball ended with Vagner “I need Viagra” Love, who served the Real Madrid striker. Robinho, with a classy touch, put the ball above the falling keeper from Chile.

Few moments later, the play of the match. The one that will make the more fanatic to forget the poor job of the national team. Robinho received the ball. Without stopping it, the number 11 touched it in the defender’s right side and run to its left side to get the ball. He dribbled another defender, conducting the ball to the center, and fired it with the left foot. Golaço!!!