5/7 long balls, Yellow card: 33yo Man Utd ace delivers mixed performance on Int'L duty, Amorim will be concerned

Manchester United star Casemiro delivered a mixed bag of a performance as he lined up for Brazil on Thursday night.

The Selecao cruised to a 3-0 victory over Chile in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes finding the back of the net.

Casemiro was given the job of anchoring the midfield alongside Guimaraes.

The former Real Madrid enforcer thought he had his moment of glory when he headed home from a superb Raphinha delivery into the 12-yard box.

However, the referee was quick to raise his offside flag and his decision was backed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

He picked up a silly yellow card for stepping on Felipe Loyola’s foot around the break.

The 33-year-old knew exactly what he was doing, and on another day, the same challenge might have earned him a straight red.

As he was already on a warning, he will miss the final qualifying game against Bolivia.

Casemiro looked good on the ball as he played 13 passes into the final third and created one chance.

His trademark long diagonals were also effective, attempting seven and connecting on five to release Brazil’s wide men.

He also made four recoveries and was not dribbled past even once.

However, his game without possession once again lacked the bite and sharpness expected from a midfield destroyer.

Casemiro has faced similar problems at Old Trafford where he has helped the team by starting attacks from deep but has struggled to offer defensive stability in transitions.

He has started in all three Premier League games this season, ahead of Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo.

Ugarte has had a tough start to the new campaign and his woes followed him onto the international stage with another subpar display for Uruguay against Peru.

Stats from Fotmob.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .