Gilberto captains Brazil to 1-0 win
March 27, 2008
The one and only Gilberto Silva played at Arsenal’s Emirate’s Stadium yesterday. He started the game. He was captain. His team won. It reminds you of last season, doesn’t it? Except; last night, he was playing for Brazil. Gilberto hadn’t been expecting an easy game from the Swedes, and neither Kaka or Ronaldinho were chosen for the squad.
Taken from the excellent FIFA.com article, here’s a short review of the game, including quotes from Gilberto at the end:
It took Alexandre Pato just 11 minutes to mark his international debut with a goal – and what a goal it was. Charging down Rami Shaaban’s attempted clearance near the right-hand corner of the penalty box, he turned in an instant and lifted a first-time lob high over the stranded Swedish substitute keeper and into the far corner of the net.
The 72nd minute strike gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over the Europeans and also served to reinforce Pato’s reputation as being one of the game’s most exciting young talent. But those present at the Emirates Stadium in London were well aware of that already. His name was cheered loudly by the fans when the teams were announced, he was given an enthusiastic reception when warming up on the touchline and those cheers increased still further when he replaced Julio Baptista shortly after the hour mark.
The roof was almost lifted off the arena when his cheeky effort hit the back of the net. Without Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Kaka – the Brazilian fans had a new name to chant. Excited journalists were already making comparisons with Pele, as where O Rei stole the show in 1958; Pato came to the fore in the commemorative game half a century later.
Yet team-mate Gilberto Silva has warned the press and the public alike not to expect too much too soon from their new darling.
“He can be very, very good,” the Arsenal midfielder told FIFA.com exclusively after the game. “But we should not put a lot of pressure on him, because he’s still young, he still needs to develop and improve on aspects of his game. But yes, I’m sure he’ll be a fantastic player in the future. He certainly took his goal well.
“We’re looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers in the summer and I am sure he will be involved in them. Tonight was all about preparing for them and we were given a good test by Sweden. We were delighted to win the match and I feel that we’re in a very strong position to qualify for South Africa.
“We have a lot of good players at our disposal. I’m not too sure whether the players we have this time are better than four years ago; it’s difficult to compare, but the important thing for us is the fact that even if some players are not able to play, those who come in will do an excellent job for us.”
Now to try and get a few starts at the Emirates! Who would have thought it would be so easy to do for Brazil, and so difficult for Arsenal?