Brazil players hooked up to OXYGEN canisters after 0-0 World Cup Qualifying draw with Bolivia
BRAZIL’S players needed to be administered oxygen after their 0-0 draw away in Bolivia last night.
It was hardly surprising though – Bolivia play at the highest altitude in world football of 3,637metres above sea level.
After labouring to a 0-0 draw in the World Cup Qualifying clash, Brazil’s players then slumped into chairs in the dress rooms and took in oxygen from canisters.
And the world’s most expensive player Neymar was clearly not happy to be playing in such conditions.
He uploaded a photo to Instagram of his team-mates taking in O2, captioned: “Inhuman to play in such conditions, field, altitude, ball .. everything bad.
” But we were happy for the performance of the team even with these conditions.”
Speaking after the game, Brazil boss Tite insisted he was happy with his squad’s performance and praised their medical team.
He said: “Playing here is very difficult. Strategically, I was very happy. We were upright, offensive. I want to emphasise this great performance. Happy for performance and upset about the result.
“I have to praise our professionals for all the logistics of the medical department that gave all the support to make people feel the effects less.”
The Samba stars were playing at lung-busting 3,637metre altitude but looked like they were on the Copacabana as they drew a blank against a team whose dreams of Russia were dead.
The game was always likely to be a damp squib with the Selecao having booked their spot at Russia 2018 with matches to spare.
But Samba boss Tite still picked an incredible forward line that included Prem stars Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho alongside Paris Saint-Germain ace Neymar.
But for all the Brazilian talent on display, it was Bolivia striker Marcelo Moreno who stole the show before the game had even kicked off.
Moreno played for Brazil Under-18s but has since won 63 caps for the country of his birth.
And he could not resist the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Neymar and Co by putting himself at the centre of the pre-match snap.
From then on it was Bolivia keeper Carlos Lampe who was at the heart of things with a number of fine stops to keep Brazil at bay.
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