Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes played for Brazil last night in their opening group-stage match of the Copa America against Costa Rica.
Brazil are one of the favourites to win the tournament, which is being held in the United States.
Gomes only made his debut for Brazil earlier this year, when he featured against England in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium.
Gomes had been named on the bench only once before that game with England shortly after he completed his move to Wolves, but didn’t get any minutes in a game against Morocco.
He went on to play a few more times after the game with England and against Costa Rica last night, he received his fifth cap.
Brazil started disappointingly, and could only manage a 0-0 draw.
Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes fares well despite poor result for Brazil
Brazil were the overwhelming favorites to beat Costa Rica last night.
Dorival Junior’s side are ranked fourth in the world, while Costa Rica are ranked 52nd.
Brazil dominated the ball against their opponents as expected, having 74% possession. But they just couldn’t break down a stubborn and resilient Costa Rica side.
In the end, Brazil mustered up just three shots at goal.
Defender Marquinhos thought he had put Brazil 1-0 up after 33 minutes. But VAR then ruled it out for offside.
Brazil never really got close to breaching Costa Rica, and now have a bit of work to do in their group, after Colombia defeated Paraguay 2-1.
As far as Gomes’ performance was concerned, the Wolves man did OK. As per Sofascore, he was extremely tidy on the ball, completing 63/65 (97%) passes. He also won 8/10 of his duels and made five tackles – only Lucas Paqueta made more in the game.
Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte could give him no higher than a 6/10 for his display. They said of him: “He did well in combats and practically did not miss passes. But in a game of attack against defense, he contributed little in the creation.”
Gomes must look to improve on the creativity front
Wolves fans have absolutely loved watching Gomes since he arrived from Flamengo in January 2023.
It was apparent right from when he first came that Wolves had snapped up a player who was brilliant defensively. His ball-winning is easily his best attribute, with former Old Gold midfield Dave Edwards having previously suggested he hasn’t seen a better player for that at Molineux.
Brazil struggled to break down Costa Rica in Los Angeles, and Gomes was unable to really make a huge impact, as it was all about Brazil trying to break their opponents down.
Currently, being creative is not really what Gomes is about.
We know he’s got it in him though. His assist for Nelson Semedo’s deflected strike against Chelsea showed his great vision. And then his second goal against Tottenham Hotspur, when he charged forward to finish off a counter led by Pedro Neto, also showed there is an attacking side to his game there.
Without a doubt, Gomes can elevate his game by adding a bit more creativity to his game. Should he manage to do that, then Wolves will have a serious player on their hands.