“He had 102 touches, 88 passes, 5 clearances, and 1 assist”- Skysport pundit was full of praise for brilliant Arsenal star who was fantastic on international duty last night- Mikel Arteta is ‘more than happy’ with the player’s form
“He had 102 touches, 88 passes, 5 clearances, and 1 assist”- Skysport pundit was full of praise for brilliant Arsenal star who was fantastic on international duty last night- Mikel Arteta is ‘more than happy’ with the player’s form
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes delivered an impressive performance for Brazil during their World Cup qualifier against Venezuela yesterday.
The centre-back made his much-awaited debut for the Selecao in September and last night, he scored his maiden goal with a trademark header after the break.
Brazil continued to dominate the proceedings, but Venezuela eventually grabbed a point in the 85th minute from a superb overhead kick from Eduard Bello.
In our opinion, Marquinhos was at fault for the goal. The centre-back should have been more aware as the ball fell into the path of the Venezuelan forward.
Despite the stalemate, Magalhaes had a memorable game. He had 102 touches, completing 88 out of his 92 passes with an accuracy of around 96 per cent.
The Gunners star also won six ground and aerial duels alongside five clearances and two interceptions. His goal secured a valuable point for the Selecao.
Brazil could not get over the line despite Magalhaes’ goal and they will be aiming to make amends when they face Uruguay on the road on Tuesday night.
The Selecao are currently on seven points after three World Cup qualifier games. They are second in the standings behind Argentina, who have a perfect record.
Magalhaes has started each of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers and he appears to have become a mainstay in their defence under interim head coach Fernando Diniz.
Meanwhile, Arsenal face London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after the international break.
The game was a memorable one for Magalhaes last term. The 25-year-old scored the only goal of the derby at the Bridge where the Gunners were the dominant side.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
