World Cup Of FIFA: Despite Being Stunned By Cameroon, Brazil And Switzerland Remain Qualified

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been full of surprises so far. From upsets to close calls, the tournament has had it all. But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that two-time champions Brazil have not looked like the powerhouse they are expected to be. After being stunned by Cameroon in their opening match, Brazil managed to squeak by Switzerland in their second game. And while they remain qualified for the knockout stage, they will have to step up their game if they want to make a run at the title. In this blog post, we will take a look at Brazil’s World Cup journey so far and what they need to do to get back on track.
Brazil’s World Cup History
Brazil has a long and successful history in the World Cup, having won the tournament five times. They have also been runners-up on two occasions. Brazil is the only team to have played in every single World Cup tournament.
Brazil’s first ever game in the World Cup was against Switzerland in 1930, which they won 2-1. This began a trend of Brazil winning their opening games in the tournament, which they have done in all but three of their appearances. In fact, Brazil has only lost two of their opening games in total.
In 1958, Brazil reached the World Cup final for the first time, however they were beaten by host nation Sweden 5-2. This would be Brazil’s only loss in a World Cup final until they were defeated by Uruguay in 1950. Four years later, Brazil finally claimed their first World Cup title with a victory over Czechoslovakia in the final.
Brazil defended their title successfully in 1962, defeating Chile 3-1 in the final. They then went on to win the 1970 World Cup on home soil, becoming the first (and so far only) team to do so. In this tournament, they famously beat Italy 4-1 in the final after being 1-0 down at half time.
After winning back-to-back titles, Brazil suffered something of a dip in form and failed to make it past the second round of either the 1974 or 1978 tournaments. However, they bounced back in 1982 and reached yet
Switzerland’s World Cup History
Switzerland has a long and storied history with the World Cup, dating back to their first appearance in 1934. They’ve been a regular fixture in the tournament since, appearing in every edition except for 1950 and 2018.
Their best finish came in 1954, when they reached the quarter-finals. They also made it to the last 16 in 2006 and 2014.
This year, Switzerland was drawn into a difficult group with Brazil and Serbia. They got off to a disappointing start, losing 1-0 to Serbia. However, they bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Brazil. This was enough to see them through to the knockout stage as one of the best third-place teams.
In the Round of 16, they’ll face Sweden. It’s sure to be a tough match, but if they can win it, Switzerland will have a chance to make some noise in this year’s World Cup.
Cameroon’s World Cup History
Cameroon’s World Cup history is one of the most fascinating in the entire tournament. The African country has only qualified for the World Cup seven times, but their performance in 1990 was one of the most impressive in the history of the tournament.
In 1990, Cameroon became the first African team to ever make it to the World Cup quarter-finals. They did so by defeating both Argentina and defending champions West Germany. Unfortunately, they lost to England in the quarter-finals, but their achievement was still huge.
Since then, Cameroon have failed to make it past the group stage of any World Cup. However, they will always be remembered for their stunning performance in 1990.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup
Brazil and Switzerland both managed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup despite being stunned by Cameroon in their final group stage matches. Brazil were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon, while Switzerland lost 2-1.
Despite these results, both Brazil and Switzerland had already done enough to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition. Brazil topped Group E with seven points, while Switzerland finished second in Group F with six points.
Cameroon, on the other hand, failed to make it out of the group stage as they finished bottom of Group E with just three points.
Brazil Vs. Switzerland
In the 2018 World Cup, Brazil was drawn into Group E, alongside Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Serbia. In their first match against Switzerland, Brazil was stunned by a late equalizer from the Swiss, which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Despite this setback, Brazil went on to win their next two matches against Costa Rica and Serbia, qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.
In the round of 16, Brazil faced Mexico. After a close match, Brazil emerged victorious with a 2-0 victory. This set up a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium, who had just knocked out tournament favorites Germany in the previous round.
Brazil and Belgium played to a 1-1 draw after regulation and extra time, resulting in a penalty shootout to decide the winner. In a thriller of a shootout,Brazil eventually prevailed 5-4, setting up a semifinal matchup against France.
However, in the semifinal against France, Brazil was dealt a crushing defeat, losing 2-1 in disappointing fashion. This resulted in a third-place matchup against fellow South American side Uruguay. In this match, Brazilian star Neymar scored twice as Brazil won 2-0 to secure third place at the 2018 World Cup.
Cameroon Vs. Brazil
Cameroon and Brazil met in the first game of the group stage at the 1990 World Cup. Cameroon stunned Brazil by taking a 1-0 lead in the first half. However, Brazil came back to win the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Careca and Muller.
This was not the only time that Cameroon has caused problems for Brazil at the World Cup. In 2014, Cameroon again took a 1-0 lead against Brazil in the group stage, but this time Brazil could not find an equalizer and ended up losing the game 1-0.
Despite these two setbacks, Brazil has still managed to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup on both occasions. This shows that even when they are not at their best, they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Conclusion
Despite being stunned by Cameroon in their opening game, Brazil and Switzerland remain qualified for the World Cup. This is thanks to the fact that they both have experienced and talented squads that are more than capable of bouncing back from a loss. With two more games to go in the group stage, it will be interesting to see how these teams fare against their opponents.