Roy Keane strongly criticised, then praised former Manchester United star Casemiro as Brazil edged past Japan in a thrilling World Cup round of 32 clash on Monday night.
First-half struggles for Brazil
Brazil, one of the tournament favourites, were heading for an embarrassing early exit when Kaishū Sano gave Japan a deserved lead in the first-half. Captain Casemiro, who recently departed Old Trafford after four mixed seasons, endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes, getting booked early on before being partly responsible for Sano's goal.
Speaking on ITV at half-time, Keane was asked about Brazil's midfield being a weakness and did not hold back: 'A huge worry throughout the competition and it's cost them. They made a mistake earlier in the game with the midfielders getting out of the position and Casemiro's already on a yellow card and this certainly affects his decision making in terms of closing the goalscorer down.'
He continued: 'They give the ball away cheaply but there's still a long way to go. This is the bit that's frustrating for me, you see Casemiro, his first movement is to come out. He's got to be backtracking, protecting the goal, he's got to be slowing the player down. He's an experienced player but it's no good having all that experience if he's not going to use it.'
Keane added: 'Credit to the attacking midfielder, very, very good, but Casemiro almost guided him to go past him. He had to stay goal-side. Just keep backtracking, slow him down and get numbers around you. Well deserved, a very good strike. But from Brazil's midfield point of view, nowhere near good enough. I'd be surprised if he comes out for the second-half.'
Second-half turnaround
To much surprise, Carlo Ancelotti did keep his captain on after the break and it proved to be the right decision, as it was Casemiro who scored the equaliser with a trademark header, which prompted a change of heart from Keane.
'Obviously, it's been a great response from half-time, he made one change to get more crosses in, they're getting bodies attacking it,' the United legend added. 'We've been critical of Casemiro defensively, but we do know he's a goal threat, always in the box. The delivery, and not just that, Casimiro… He sees it all the way, but his timing, my goodness, his timing is fantastic.'
Keane continued: 'Then again, we shouldn't be surprised because he's scored so many brilliant goals for United, he is an aerial threat. He's like a striker in there, his instinct in the box is like a top striker.'
Casemiro's injury and Martinelli's winner
Casemiro was routinely criticised at United as a defensive liability but earned back respect from fans and pundits last season after emerging as a surprise goal threat, scoring nine times in the Premier League. The 34-year-old was unable to see out the game however, limping off in injury time and just moments later, he watched on as Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal in the 95th minute.
Brazil advance to the round of 16 where they will play either Norway or the Ivory Coast, and after the tournament, Casemiro is set to join Lionel Messi at David Beckham's Inter Miami side.
