No gripes for Firmino over back-up Brazil role

Roberto Firmino will not dispute Tite's Brazil starting line-up, despite coming off the bench to score against Croatia.

Published : Jun 03, 2018 23:01 IST

Roberto Firmino insists he would have no complaints over being a back-up to Gabriel Jesus for Brazil at the World Cup.

The Liverpool striker came off the bench to score his side's second in a 2-0 friendly win over Croatia at Anfield on Sunday.

Jesus, who captained the side, endured a quiet game but the Manchester City star is expected to keep his place when Brazil kick off their campaign against Switzerland on June 17.

And Firmino says he will not dispute the decisions of head coach Tite in Russia.

"I'm here to help Selecao," he told SporTV. "Whoever Tite chooses, I'll respect it 100 per cent and I'm here when needed, to give my best for the team."

Brazil's clash with Croatia was an uneventful affair until Neymar, making his first appearance since February 25, broke the deadlock 69 minutes in with a superb goal.

Firmino netted in the dying seconds as the South Americans claimed a third win in a row and sixth clean sheet in their last seven games.

Danilo, who played the full match at right-back and is expected to start in Russia in place of the injured Dani Alves, thinks his side are on target in terms of their preparations.

"I'm very pleased for the way I played, first of all," he said. 

"It was important to keep a clean sheet, being safe at the back, while having people up front who can make a difference. We're on the right track."

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