At first, Tuesday didn’t seem like much of a fluke after all. Conceding twice in the first 16 minutes, Brazil’s defense again went AWOL, digging a hole for the host nation after a pair of disappointing breakdowns. With goals from Robin van Persie and Daley Blind, the Netherlands were on the verge of replicating Germany’s semifinal slaughter.
Over the half’s last 20 minutes, however, Brazil were the most dangerous side, reaching the halftime whistle with edges in possession and shotsl.
The edge that mattered, however, remained the Dutch’s. At intermission in Brazil’s capital, it’s 2-0, the Netherlands.
[ FOLLOW LIVE: Brazil vs. Netherlands ]
Goals:
2' - Who knows what this referee is doing? Arjen Robben, racing past the Brazilian defense, is pulled down at the shoulder, seemingly from behind, by Thiago Silva just outside the Brazil penalty box. Not only does referee Djamel Haïmoudi erroneously point to the spot, but he only shows Silva yellow. When Robin Van Persie puts the ensuing penalty kick into the upper-right hand corner, the Netherlands have their lead. Too bad it should be 0-0 ... and 11-on-10.
16' - As an open quarter-hour comes to an end, the Dutch extend their lead. After a cross from the right is cleared weakly by David Luiz back to the penalty spot, Daley Blind has time to take two touches before putting the Netherlands’ second under the cross-bar, into the right of goal. It’s the 100th goal Brazil have conceded at in World Cup history, one that leaves them down two.
Other key moments:
21' - From just above the arc, Oscar lets go of a right-footed shot, one that’s smothered by Jasper Cillesen. It’s the first time the Dutch keeper’s been called into action.
33' - For the second time tonight, Brazil’s found success going down their right, this time seeing Maicon draw a foul on Georginio Wijnaldum just outside the penalty box. Oscar’s restart bends and drops at the edge of the six-yard box but misses Luiz, with Wijnaldum heading back and clear of goal.
Questions for the second half
Has Brazil’s defense settled in? - Though the Seleçao defense looked terrible over the game’s first 16 minutes, they held the Dutch to one shot on target throughout the remainder of the half. Was that the team coming together? Or was it the Dutch taking their foot off the pedal?
Is this playing in to Dutch’s hands? - The Netherlands have been willing to play without the ball all tournament, relying on their counterattack to create chances. Though Brazil made progress over the half’s final half-hour, is their pursuit playing into the Dutch’s plans? The more isolated Silva and Luiz become, the more likely Robben is to finish this game off.
