No Neymar, no problem! Philippe Coutinho ensured that fans of his home country did not miss the services of the injured Paris Saint-Germain superstar. The Barca midfielder put in an immense shift in the Selecao’s international friendly encounter against reigning world champions, Germany, by being at the end of almost every dangerous move.
Probably getting flashbacks of the 7-1 humiliation back in 2014, the Brazilians staged a tough fight for their opponents and got the game's opener via Gabriel Jesus’s 37th-minute strike. Nonetheless, it was Coutinho who got the attention of fans the most with his inter-positional movements and nifty pieces of skills.
For a second, he looked like a schoolboy in the park as he made the likes of Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich look like average Sunday league footballers. The 25-year-old midfielder made way for Douglas Costa in the 73rd minute but the feedback he got from fans on Twitter says it all:
Coutinho's technical ability is just excellent.
— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStat) March 27, 2018
MAGIC FROM COUTINHO
— Brazil Football
Coutinho just ended Goretzka's career. pic.twitter.com/fN420n1HIW
— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) March 27, 2018
Coutinho is an absolute warrior maaan best workrate in the world pic.twitter.com/1zxNi57MR9
— M. (@PeakDembouz) March 27, 2018
Philippe Coutinho. pic.twitter.com/zG61DawOmO
— Esteban Márquez G. (@EstebanMqzG2) March 27, 2018
Coutinho is worth all the money we paid for him this transfer window. Glad we got him before the World Cup. His price would only rise.
— J. (@ElaficionadoFC) March 27, 2018