It could have gone all wrong for the host nation Brazil on Monday. Just nine minutes after Neymar's opener in Brasilia, Joel Matip pulled Cameroon level at Estadio Nacional and fans all around the word started worrying will Brazil finish second in the group A and face mighty Netherlands in the round of 16?
But the poster boy Neymar had something else on his mind. Neymar duly put his side ahead again with a more individual effort, and from there Brazil were absolutely cruising. Striker Fred and midfielder Fernandinho added third and fourth respectively to crush Cameroon 4-1. But it was not all rosy for the host nation till the fourth goal. A late Fernandinho's strike ensured they topped Group A only on goal difference. They were pushed all the way by Mexico, who brushed Croatia aside with ease to book their own place in the knockout rounds.
So having ensured their place to next round and are expected to beat Chile and move to the quarters without any fuss - the question in everyone's mind is that can the host nation finally bury the daemon of 1950 and go all the way to lift the trophy on their soil? In a country where tens of millions live for football, this prospect of another failure on home soil is just not acceptable or possible for the fans.
Poster boy of Brazil, Neymar has the weight of a nation on his slender shoulders and everyone is expecting the boy touted as next Pele to work his magic in the knockout stages and help Brazil to their sixth World Cup title. The 23-year-old is coping with the pressure extremely well so far and is the leading goal scorer with 4 goals to his name and if he can show the same spark in the later stages of the tournament then who knows he can help Brazil to the ultimate prize.
But he must be wary of the fact that no team can win World Cup with just one hero in the team -- there has to be eleven heroes and it's a team effort that will win the cup. So is the Brazil as the team look ready according to their performance in group stages? They have scored seven and conceded two but their defence looks bit shaky. World Cup wins are often based around efficient defence. In 2010 Spain didn't concede a single goal in the knock-out stages while Italy in 2006 only gave up two goals across the whole tournament. France's goalkeeper in 1998 was also beaten just twice over five weeks.
But so far Brazil's back four have been tested again and again and have not been rock solid. Marcelo can be exposed down the left flank and will surely be targeted in the knockout stages against the big teams. Dani Alves is an experienced player, but is not at his best anymore. David Luiz is vulnerable and apart from Thiago Silva no one in the back four is consistent enough. So their defence might be one of the biggest reason if they fail to lift the trophy on 13th July.
The World Cup is a gruelling period, with seven games packed into 30 days. It's all about endurance and Brazil will have a tough run from the quarters for sure. So whether they have the ability to cope with mental and physical pressure only time will tell.
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