Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes helped Brazil come from behind to beat Chile 2-1 on Thursday night.
The 26-year-old did not feature in the Brazil starting XI, as Dorival Junior tinkered with his starting lineup for the World Cup qualifier. This came on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, with the Brazilian media criticising Bruno Guimaraes for his performance.
Something has not been clicking for the Selecao, and it looked like that might continue on Thursday night – even with Bruno Guimaraes dropping to the bench.
Brazil went a goal down within two minutes, with Eduardo Vargas giving Chile the lead. Dorival’s side equalised on the stroke of half-time, with Igor Jesus scoring on his debut.
Ahead of the second half, Dorival decided to bring Bruno on. He changed his midfield, with Bruno and Gerson replacing Lucas Paqueta and Andre.
It proved to be a positive decision, as Bruno provided the assist for Brazil’s late winner. The Newcastle United captain sprayed the ball out wide to Luiz Henrique, who bent the ball beyond the Chile goalkeeper to complete a dramatic comeback.
Brazilian media give their verdict on Bruno Guimaraes’ performance
After criticising him for his previous appearance, the Brazilian media were much more impressed with Bruno on Thursday night.
Globo Esporte gave him a rating out of 6.5/10, which was only bettered by the two goalscorers Luiz Henrique and Igor Jesus. They both scored 7/10.
On Bruno, Globo wrote: “He came on to give more dynamism to the midfield, but seemed to struggle at the beginning. He improved as time went on, started exchanging passes with more speed and finished the game with an assist for Luiz Henrique. Not only for the pass, but for going up into the area and attracting the marking, leaving the Botafogo striker in a one-on-one situation.”
Elsewhere, ESPN gave Bruno a score of six, writing: “Brought on at halftime. A sense of composure and calmness arrived in the centre of the park with his introduction as well.”
What Dorival said about the Newcastle United midfielder before the game
It is great to see Bruno have a positive impact on the international stage after being dropped from the starting XI.
He has been a largely consistent figure in the Brazil midfield, but their manager took the decision to mix things up for the Chile game.
Ahead of the game, Dorival explained that he would not be including Bruno in the starting XI.
“Bruno is a very important player,” he told Globo Esporte.
“His departure today doesn’t mean he loses his importance, he knows that. It’s just an attempt to find a different midfield, with a player who is more accustomed to getting closer, as is the case with (Lucas) Paquetá.
“He (the West Ham United midfielder) has already performed this role in other moments here in the national team, maybe we can repeat all of this. Especially because we will have a player like Raphinha in the middle who will support the midfield. With this, we will strengthen our ability to recover the ball and reach the opponent’s goal a little more.
“This does not mean that, in the match, Bruno cannot maintain his importance in the group. He was one of the best players, if not the best, in the Copa América.”
What is next for Bruno Guimaraes and Brazil
Next up for Brazil is another World Cup qualifier. This time they are at home to Peru.
That game is on Tuesday night, and Bruno will hope that his appearance off the bench against Chile convinces Dorival to restore him to the starting XI.
After that, Bruno will return to Tyneside. Newcastle United are next in action on October 19th against Brighton. That game is at St James’ Park, with Newcastle hoping to welcome Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson back from injury.
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