Real Madrid fans watched as Vinicius Junior dazzled the Miami crowd with a brace in another attacking monsterclass for the Brazilian national team to prove, once again, why he is one of the elite players in the world and deserving of far more praise than he actually gets in the media.
They also got to watch an old rival, Neymar, make his return on the pitch for a few key minutes after injury and another current player, Endrick, get the run around for a few minutes before the game closed with the Selecao holding a commanding 3-0 lead over Scotland.
Endrick didn't get to do much during his appearance, and while Real Madrid fans and actually most Brazilian national team fans have been clamoring for the former Palmeiras prospect to draw starts, Carlo Ancelotti, to nobody's surprise, once again snubbed him for the veteran Matheus Cunha at the center forward and Bournemouth's own gem Rayan on the right hand side.
Endrick may not get his shot now
You can't say Ancelotti got it wrong either. Cunha grabbed a goal, but the real standout was Rayan, who was so good that you could make the case he was the second best player on the Selecao behind Vinicius Junior in the blowout win over Scotland.
Rayan had the initial press on the Scotland defender that led to the gift of an opening goal for Vini Jr., and he was a constant thorn in the side of the opposition. He tied Lucas Paqueta for the team lead with four key passes playing off the right hand side of the attack, and Brazil legitimately looked way better without Barcelona's Raphinha, who has always been the real underperformer in the Selecao over the past couple of years.
Well, Rayan, meanwhile, continues to look like the future for Brazil. He was creating chances, efficient in one on ones, and offered that something special with his acceleration. In truth, he fits the right wing role better than Endrick does, and Real Madrid fans are going to have to absorb the gut punch that after proving Carlo Ancelotti right, Rayan is the one firmly in the driver's seat.
Ancelotti probably favors the defensive work rate, pressing, and acceleration on the ball of Rayan. Endrick was a great creator for Lyon in the last few months, too, but he also tended to create more chances in the middle than on the wing. Real Madrid fans are going to have to get used to the scenes of Endrick sitting on the sidelines in a yellow jersey.
Add us as a preferred source on Google