'Garrincha walked among us': How the Brazilian papers responded to the win over Cameroon

The Brazilian press were in understandably jubilant mood after the Seleção sealed qualification to the World Cup round of 16 on Monday.

Most of the praise was reserved for Neymar, whose two-goal salvo sent Brazil on the way to a 4-1 win over Cameroon. With the game having taken place at the Estádio Mané Garrincha, allusions to Brazilian football's great doomed idol were perhaps inevitable, but no less apt for that.

"With Mané's blessing" read the front page of Correio Braziliense, with reporter Marcos Paulo Lima declaring that Garrincha had "walked among us".

Read the rest of this paper round-up here, plus my match report from Brasília here and quotes from Luiz Felipe Scolari here.

Neymar channels Garrincha as improving Brazil brush Cameroon aside in Brasilia

There was something inevitable about it all.

Brazil's best player appearing for the first time at a stadium named after one of this country's most fabled footballing idols. Neymar at the Estadio Mane Garrincha. Two dribblers, two dreamers, united by the universe. It sounded like a recipe for fun.

The people of Brasilia, this most sparse of capital cities, flocked to the ground, the outlandish, unforgivable expense of the place (£400million by conservative estimates) briefly forgotten. The stadium, with its steep sides, shook with noise as Brazil's players warmed up, with one man especially at the centre of attentions.

Read this piece on the Yahoo! Eurosport site here.

'Horror show' at the Castelão: the Brazilian papers react to the Seleção's 0-0 draw with Mexico

It probably won’t surprise you to know that when the Seleção win, it’s front page news in Brazil. Few countries stop to the extent this one does when their heroes play, so it makes sense that their successes are celebrated.

But the support is not unequivocal, as Wednesday's papers demonstrated. Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Mexico hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with local journalists none too impressed with the display at the Castelão.

“No inspiration” read the front page of O Globo’s World Cup pullout. “With Oscar well short of what he produced in the opening game and Neymar tightly marked, Brazil had trouble breaking through the Mexican defence,” wrote Mauricio Fonseca, while columnist Renato Mauricio Prado bemoaned the the absence of any kind of passing rhythm: “We didn’t settle. The biggest sign that we were playing badly was the frequency with which Julio Cesar punted the ball upfield."

Read the rest of this paper round-up on the Mirror website.

Brazil fail to impress against Mexico despite Fortaleza's warm embrace

In the lead-up to Brazil’s second Group A game, much was made of the welcome the Seleção would receive in the city of Fortaleza.

It was here, last summer, that the craze of the a cappella anthem first took root, players and fans alike ignoring the shortened, FIFA-approved version of the hino nacional to sing their hearts out before the Confederations Cup game against Mexico.

So it was that the Castelão stadium came to be regarded as something of a Ground Zero for this new, united Brazil side. The players certainly seemed content to be returning to Fortaleza.

“We feel at home here,” admitted Thiago Silva. “We are always well received here in the north east.”

Read the rest of this piece on the Yahoo! Eurosport site.

World Cup preview: Brazil vs Mexico

Brazil continue their World Cup campaign this afternoon against Mexico in Fortaleza.

Having ground out a win against Croatia, the Seleção will be keen to put in a more convincing display at the Castelão. They will also be looking to avenge the 2-1 defeat in the final of the Olympic football tournament two summers ago.

I have previewed the game for three sites:

First, for the Mirror (where you can also find lots more non-Brazil-related writing by me this tournament).

Second, for ESPN FC, alongside Mexican football expert Tom Marshall.

Finally, for Unibet, with a betting angle.

Agora sim: Rio de Janeiro finally catches World Cup bug as Argentina come to town

It was a long old wait for Rio de Janeiro.

Three and a half days of the World Cup. Ten games. A lifetime, it felt like. For this city that holds football so dear, it could easily have been taken as an affront.

Choose your idol #ARG pic.twitter.com/ynbkDvWl5r
— Jack Lang (@snap_kaka_pop) June 15, 2014

Rio had hoped to host the opening game; instead, Sao Paulo got the nod. It had to, really, given that the Maracana was the only real choice for the final. But with the schedule ensuring that Brazil would only play in the Cidade Maravilhosa in the final (should they reach it), plenty of cariocas felt they had been dealt a bad hand.

That feeling was only strengthened by the fixture list. The first visitors to the Maracana would be Bosnia – fine – and... no, this must be some kind of joke.

Seriously? Argentina?

Read the rest of this blog on the Mirror website.

Oscar shines brightest as Brazil grind out opening-night win over Croatia

And breathe. After weeks and months and years of expectation and build-up, Brazil got the World Cup underway with the victory that 200 million souls so dearly craved.

But while a 3-1 scoreline implies a level of comfort, the success over Croatia was what locals might call a "vitória suada" – a sweaty victory. Brazil were made to work for their reward at the Arena São Paulo, forced to dig deep after Marcelo's misfortune had given their visitors the lead in the opening stages. From that point, this was always going to be a battle rather than a victory march.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. It was Neymar (who else?) who dragged Luiz Felipe Scolari's side level, guiding a shot past Stipe Pletikosa on 29 minutes. "I didn't mean to hit it that softly," he later laughed, but the relief on the field at that moment was palpable. A fresh start. A clean slate.

The Barcelona striker would go on to add a second and it surprised few when he was named FIFA's man of the match. But he was outshone on the night by one of his colleagues.

Read the rest of this piece on the Yahoo! Eurosport site.