Brazil Has Been Repeating Routine in World Cup's Elite Teams Since 1994

07/03/2018 - 12h28

By guaranteeing classification for the quarter-finals after the 2 to 0 win over Mexico on Monday (the 2nd), Brazil has confirmed its presence among the eight best teams. Being in this elite group has been a routine experience for Brazil since 1994. No other team has been in all of the quarter-finals since then.

The goals scored against Mexico assure Brazil a kind of World Cup statistical hegemony. Leadership ranking in goals goes to Brazil, with seven so far in Russia. The scorecard: 228 Brazil, Germany 226.

With its next match, Brazil will tie Germany for the number of games played in World Cups: 109. Germany was in first ranking before the Cup with 106 to Brazil's 104.

In number of victories, Brazil already was in first place and has widened its lead: it now has 73, which is 6 more than Germany.

	Xinhua/Li Ga
	Casemiro, from Brazil, and Raúl Jiménez, from México

Without the Germans - who were eliminated in the first phase -, and without Italy, Brazil will remain until 2022 as leader in the number of World Cup Championship victories - the only five-time champion. Germany and Italy are both four-time champions.

During this Cup, Brazil has ceded one goal, and less significantly, tied with Uruguay.

Falling out during the round of sixteen would have represented a failure for Coach Tite and would have been his worst campaign in World Cups since 1990.

Brazil's next match will be on Friday (the 6th) against Belgium, which hasn't been in the quarter-finals since 1986.

The only time that Brazil and Belgium have played against each other in a World Cup was in 2002. Brazil won 2 to 0 in the round of sixteen.

The victory at Samara was the 20th for Tite. He has also had four ties and a loss.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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