Author: Soorya G
Brazilian striker Richarlison completed his seventh game without scoring for the national team. The 2-0 defeat to Uruguay added to Brazil’s poor collective form, and the Tottenham striker opted for a diplomatic stance.
Entering the field to replace the injured Neymar at the start of the first half, the No. 9 had little influence on a game in which Brazil managed just two shots on goal. When asked about Fernando Diniz’s work, Richarlison lamented the short time available to the new coach and looked ahead to the international break in November.
“It’s different. He works here and at Fluminense. There, he has a lot of time to work; here, it’s limited. It will take some time to adapt to his style and approach to the game. We already understand some of your ideas. Now we just have to work. This defeat is tough, but we were aware of the difficulties of playing here. There’s no point in moping around. We’ve lost; let’s move on.“
Richarlison echoed Fernando Diniz’s criticism of goals conceded from set pieces and emphasized the need for self-evaluation based on the mistakes made in Montevideo.
“We knew it would be a difficult and hard-fought game. We lost a few duels, especially on second balls. They won almost everything. Now there’s no point in complaining; the game is over; we’ve lost. We need to correct the mistakes. We conceded two goals from set pieces, which shouldn’t have happened. Diniz will solve these problems to help us improve.“
Last but not least, the striker lamented Neymar’s injury. Neymar left the field at the start of the first half with a serious sprain to his left knee. Test results revealed that the veteran suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and will have to undergo surgery.
“We’ll have to wait for the test results. I can’t speak for him. I can only pray that he recovers well and returns as soon as possible.“
With seven points from four games, Brazil have dropped to third place in the 2026 World Cup qualifying standings, ahead of only Venezuela on goals scored. In November, the national team must visit Colombia on the 16th in Barranquilla and host Argentina on the 21st in Maracanã in their last match of the year.