Group E: BRA | SUI | CRC | SRB

Keep all Group E posts here

Looking forward to Savic tearing this group up!

Hope Serbia show up, their squad is easily 2nd best in this group

The Swiss aren't bad at all. Plus it's a team full of Kosovo Albanians, with a couple of Croats and Bosnians in the mix too. Could well be one of the games of the group stages, and not necessarily for the football either.

Brazil to finish 1st and while Serbia should get through, I think them vs Switzerland decides 2nd place.

Class player. Will he have a better tourney than Messi?

Brazil game kicks off on Prime "live" just as I get home from work. Brilliant timing!!

Welp. Brazil.

Well done Switzerland.

Looked like Brazil were going to run away with it after 15 minutes but credit to the Swiss, they played really well. Glad the goal wasn't disallowed, a slight push but not a clear and obvious error.

Who would have ever thought that we'd get to see Brazil put 11 men behind the ball and defend against Switzerland. That 'European' Brazil may have walked the CONMEBOL qualifying, but they're going to struggle to out-European the Europeans.

You don't judge players on one game vs another, but certainly Milinkovic-Savic was better than most matches Messi has played at World Cups.

Since 2006, the only European team Brazil have beaten in World Cups is Croatia (lost to France, Netherlands x2, Germany, drawn with Portugal, and now drawn with Switzerland).

This group is mouthwatering for the rest of the tournament. Costa Rica certainly a very capable side despite the loss. Serbia vs Switzerland hard to judge, and Serbia certainly have weapons that could damage Brazil. 

And that only because of a useless Japanese ref!

Anyone watched this Serb guy Tadic before much? He seemed poor of their attacking players to me, though a couple of good plays.

I agree with the Serbs saying they their World Cup squad should have a couple more of their players who won the under 20s here in New Zealand.

And not even sure Mitrovic is good enough to line up as their striker. He actually played well overall, holding it up, winning the ball, very strong etc, but it was criminal a couple of goals he didn't put away, that Mitrovic-Savic put on a plate for him.

Brazil were like this last World Cup

Especially if you look at games vs Chile & Colombia even, Brazil played a boring style compared to their South American counterparts who were desperately unlucky to lose. Brazil have done this for a couple of World Cups. Not sure why this is now a surprise. Well, it's a surprise they keep doing it I suppose. 

Really good match between Serbia and Switzerland. Is there an argument for the Serbian defender taking Shaqiri out before the box, taking the red card and hoping like hell Switzerland don't score from the free kick or in injury time? Now they have to beat Brazil to qualify barring a draw and Costa rica beating the Swiss by 2 goals which seems unlikely.

One of the Albanians playing for Switzerland wore a Kosovo flag on one of his football boots and incorporated an albanian gesture into their celebrations. I guess we shouldn't be surprised: the balkan folk have been trying to kill each other for centuries now.

https://www.rt.com/sport/430608-shaqiri-xherdan-celebration-switzerland-serbia/

Yes, when watching it that's what I was hoping he'd do.

Wow, you picked that one!

Heard so many stats this tournament.

Liked this one. The first player to score with a surname beginning with X.

And now FIfa investigating whether to ban them for the celebration. 

Such a loss to world football there is no more Yugoslavia.

Not really. Wouldn't have done any better than Serbia.

Could have done as well as Croatia. 

Croatia are my pick to go all the way. After watching that first game, they looked competant and determined. Nothing flash other than Modric's great goal. Quiet achievers.

Yugoslavia = less than the sum of its parts

Croatia = sum of its parts