The Selecao were rather toothless going forward in the first half. Despite having Vinicius Jr and Raphinha leading the line, Carlo Ancelotti's side created relatively few chances. It devolved into a drudge of a game. Gabriel Martinelli curled wide. Mike Maignan was forced into a save.
And then France struck. It was a simple thing, a through ball from Ousmane Dembele to Kylian Mbappe, who rushed through and dinked over a sprawling Ederson to make it 1-0.
Brazil improved after the break. A previously static unit started to play a bit, creating chances here and there. They were given another lifeline when Dayot Upamecano was shown his marching orders for clipping Wesley as he ran in on goal. Still, despite being down to 10-men, France were more opportunistic. They added a second after 65 minutes. Michael Olise brilliantly fed Hugo Ekitike, who lifted over Ederson for a 2-0 lead.
Yet the Selecao stuck around. Their goal was a scrappy thing, Bremer bundling home from a knockdown after a free-kick. There were further chances. Vinicius never stopped running. Joao Pedro scrapped away. But after Vinicius fired wide in the 97th minute, it was clear this wasn't Brazil's day, and that Ancelotti has a big job on his hands when the World Cup kicks off in less than three months.
GOAL rates Brazil's players from Gilette Stadium...
