Kolkata: Brazil fans rejoiced as the ‘Selecaos’ got back to their vintage Samba rhythm with an emphatic 3-0 win over Scotland in their final group match. Vinicius Junior joined the scoring race with Messi, Halaand and Mbappe, scoring twice to take his tally to four goals. In north Kolkata, ‘Brazil para’ Fakir Chakrabarty Lane burst into celebrations at the crack of dawn as Brazil dominated the match and never allowed their opponents any significant scoring chance.Members of the Uttar Kolkata Dishari Club have decked up ‘Brazil para’ in the colours of Brazil, and now share space with Argentina flags and a World Cup wall featuring Messi and Ronaldo as well. “But Brazil remains at the centre of our heart and this morning’s match left us mesmerised. It was vintage Brazil at their best. The passing, dribbling, moves and the rhythm were perfect. Vini Junior showed why he is rated as one of the best in the world. The way he carried Brazil along with Matheus Cunha was remarkable. They look on course to go the distance,” said Uttar Kolkata Dishari Club member and Brazil fan Joydeep Pal.Vini should have got a hat-trick and his ‘second goal’ shouldn’t have been disallowed, felt die-hard Brazil fan Kajal Saha, an employee of a US firm. Saha, who woke through the night to watch the match at 3.30 a.m., was delighted with Brazil’s show. “They seemed to have got back their rhythm, thanks to Vini Junior and Cunha. Both scored on Thursday, but Vini’s second goal was unfairly disallowed. He had intercepted the ball and the touch with the defender was unintentional. Messi got away with a foul in Argentina’s first match which was much worse and deserved a red card. He couldn’t have scored his hat-trick had the referee been fair,” Saha said.But fans heaved a sigh of relief at Brazil’s dominant show, which was missing in the first two matches. They also looked compact in defence unlike the previous matches when the opponents had created more scoring chances. And the celebrations with Vini, Cunha and company breaking into a samba jig after each goal, sent Brazil fans into a tizzy.Taking advantage of a loose clearance by Scott McKenna under pressure, Vini Jr seamlessly intercepted, rounded goalkeeper Angus Gunn and rolled the ball into an empty net.Midway through the first half, Vini scored a second but it was pulled back for a minimal foul following a VAR check.Right before half-time, Bruno Guimarães sent a deep cross to the far post, where Vinícius was perfectly positioned to head home his second of the night.As Brazil fans screamed in delight, Bruno Guimarães danced into the penalty area to pick up his second assist, teeing up Matheus Cunha, who drilled a low strike inside the near post to cap off the score at 3-0.The match also saw the return of superstar Neymar, much to the relief of Brazil fans. “Now that he is back, we will see a different Brazil. Neymar will keep the opposition under pressure and create more chances. With a little bit of luck, he, too, can join the scoring race with Messi, Mbappe, Halaand and Vini,” said Saha.With this win, Brazil finished Group C as winners with 7 points (ahead of Morocco on goal difference) and advances directly to the knockout phase. Meanwhile, Scotland finished third with 3 points and a damaging minus-three goal difference, leaving them facing a tense wait to see if they will squeak through as one of the best third-placed teams.
