Aerial Ball: the Brazil problem
Albuquerque, NM, EUA
Survey conducted by the science house MrPredictions shows strategic data on Brazil's performance in World Cups.
The Brazilian team is one of the main references in the World Cup. Here are some of its numbers:
-5 world titles (team with the highest number of championships)
-a victory percentage around 70% in cup games
-in 50% of World Cups reaches the semifinals
-the only three-times champion player (Pele)
-the only four-times champion sportsman (Zagallo)
Brazilian team has a weakness. The aerial balls. A true Achilles heel.
The Brazilian team in its 2018 opening match against Switzerland took its first goal exactly on the first dangerous aerial ball in the area (dead ball - corner).
Since the 1970 World Cup the aerial ball has been a decisive factor in Brazilian eliminations, especially in the dead ball plays:
-2014: The first goal of Germany resulted from an aerial ball (dead ball - corner)
-2010: The Netherlands' two goals resulted in a high ball in the area, and the second came from a corner kick (dead ball - corner)
-2006: The France goal came from an aerial ball (dead ball - fault)
-2002: Brazil was the Champion
-1998: The first two goals of France in the final were aerial plays (dead ball - corner)
-1994: Brazil was the Champion
-1990: In the World Cup in Italy the cause of elimination was not due to aerial or dead ball
-1986: Brazil was eliminated on penalties by France. But France tied the game from an aerial ball in the Brazilian area
-1982: the famous game against Italy the first italian goal came from an aerial ball, and the third italian goal happened from a corner kick (dead ball - corner). Both Paolo Rossi’s goals.
-1978: Brazil´s elimination occurred by goal difference
-1974: the Netherlands’ both goals came from crossing passes to the area. The second goal was an aerial ball.
-1970: Brazil was the champion.
Outside the World Cups Brazilian team has an embarrassing statistic. It lost the olympic final against the old USSR (1988) having taken a goal by an aerial play originated of a goal kick. Four years before Brazil took two goals and lost the final against France (1984). The first french goal came from an aerial play. In the olympic final against Mexico (2012), Brazil lost the game when it took another goal originated from an aerial play (dead ball - fault).
There were other games in cups which Brazilian team suffered with the aerial plays. In 1994 against the Netherlands Brazil took two goals from aerial balls (one from a thrown-in and another from a corner, successively). In the 1998 semifinal Brazil beat the Netherlands on penalties after 1 x 1 in normal and extended time. The Netherlands’ goal came from an aerial play.
All these goals can be reached by the links at the end of this text.
The subject deserves special attention in this world cup because there are 21 teams of average stature higher than Brazil’s (even considering the 5.9-feet average height of brazilian team).
The science house MrPredictions in partnership with University of New Mexico (USA) has used innovative techniques to conduct qualitative readings of large masses of data by the process known as Data Science. It aims to discover strategic knowledge directing to increase performance in sports, politics, scientific development and business areas.
Videos with the goals referenced in the text:
Olympic final 1988 (USSR 2 X 1)
Olympic final 1984 (France 2 X 0 Brazil)
Olympic final 2012 (Mexico 2 X 1 Brazil)
World Cup 1994 (Brazil 3 X 2 Netherland)