Brazil clinches spot in top 16 after a 1-0 win over Switzerland

Doha: Brazil defeated Switzerland 1-0 on Monday thanks to a goal from Casemiro as the five-time champions advanced to the World Cup's last 16 with one game remaining despite being without injured star Neymar.

At Doha's Stadium 974, the stubborn Swiss team had frustrated the Brazilians, and it appeared as though they would have to settle for a point when a Vinicius Junior goal in the second half was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

But then, with seven minutes left, Rodrygo flicked the ball onto Manchester United midfielder Casemiro well inside the box, and the latter's effort sailed into the net with the aid of a little but crucial deflection from Manuel Akanji.

The only team other than the defending champions to have won both group games so far in Qatar is Tite's team, who are just the second team to qualify for the round of 16 after France.

"The first aim was to qualify. That was really important in a group as difficult as ours," the 30-year-old Casemiro told Brazilian broadcaster Sportv.

"We had to be patient against an experienced side who know how to play the game. It was always going to be decided by little details but we knew we would have plenty of possession and thankfully we managed to get the goal."

Brazil has six points and may be tempted to rest players for their final Group G match against Cameroon on Friday. Even a draw would guarantee Brazil first place.

While Switzerland failed to register a shot on goal, they are still on track to qualify since they know a victory over Serbia in their final match will be enough to advance Murat Yakin's team, while a draw may still be acceptable, AFP reported.

"We are competitive against bigger teams. I think we have proven that time and time again," said Yakin, who was missing one of his main creative sparks in Xherdan Shaqiri.

"We lacked a bit of courage going forward but there are a lot of good things to take from this."

The Paris Saint-Germain star was always going to be missed by the Selecao, but coach Tite is optimistic that Neymar can heal from his ankle injury in time to participate in the finals.

The Brazilians were reminded of the depth of the European game after Richarlison's talent made the difference in their opening victory over Serbia.

With Fred and Lucas Paqueta on either side of Casemiro and Eder Militao filling in for the injured Danilo at right-back, Brazil was set up in a 4-3-3 formation.

The loudest cheers from the throngs of yellow and green fans came when the big screen displayed two-time World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo in the stands. Brazil showed only glimpses of its potential in a frustrating first half.

The best opportunity of the first half fell to Vinicius, who connected with a Raphinha cross at the back post in the 27th minute, but Yann Sommer deflected his shot far outside.

When Tite hooked Paqueta at halftime and sent on Rodrygo, it was evident that he was not pleased with how Brazil had performed in the first half.

Just after the hour mark, when Brazil appeared to be ahead, the 21-year-old was involved. He assisted in gaining possession before Casemiro released Vinicius, who then sprinted through and scored.

The celebration was short-lived as the goal was ruled to have been offside against Richarlison by VAR.

Gabriel Jesus and Antony were added to the attack by Tite after looking to his bench, but Casemiro's goal ultimately gave Brazil a well-deserved victory.