Brazil media praise 'beautiful' Bruno Guimaraes as Newcastle United star shines in Seoul - but at what cost?
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes helped Brazil secure a 5-0 friendly win against South Korea on Friday.
Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes grabbed an assist as Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 in Seoul.
It had been a difficult week for Guimaraes and his Newcastle teammate Joelinton, who saw their link-up with the Brazil squad delayed after an aeroplane malfunction en route to South Korea.
The pair endured a brutal 30-hour trip to East Asia after problems with their flight out of Amsterdam. According to Globo Esporte, a broken window on the plane forced the flight to turn around. Guimaraes and Joelinton then travelled separately to Seoul before linking up with the Brazil squad.
But the nightmare journey and concerns expressed by Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe regarding player fatigue didn’t stop Carlo Ancelotti from naming Guimaraes in his starting line-up for the match.
Joelinton was an unused substitute in the match while Guimaraes played 79 minutes before being substituted. At that point, he had already played a key role in the win.
Bruno Guimaraes shines for Brazil in 5-0 win
Guimaraes helped Brazil open the scoring with a pinpoint through ball for Estêvão to open the scoring.
Rodrygo then made it 2-0 before the Newcastle captain played a role again in Estêvão making it 3-0 shortly after half-time.
Rodrygo scored again to make it 4-0 before Vinicius Junior scored in the closing stages to complete the convincing friendly win.
Brazil now have another friendly against Japan in Tokyo to prepare for on Tuesday before Guimaraes and Joelinton return to Newcastle for the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
One of Newcastle’s longest domestic trips of the season will look fairly short in comparison for the Brazilian duo after more than 48 hours worth of travelling to the other side of the world and back during the international break.
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Bruno Guimaraes praised by Brazil media
Guimaraes was highlighted as one of Brazil’s top performers in the match by leading Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte, who handed him a 7.5/10 match rating.
His rating was only bettered by the three Brazil goalscorers, who each scored 8.0/10.
On Guimaraes’ performance, Globo Esporte commented: “He provided a beautiful assist for [Estêvão] to open the scoring and was very involved in the creation.
“He also played well in the marking and won the ball back for the third goal. He only missed two of his 66 passes.”
Guimaraes’ impressive display follows on from his strong performance for Newcastle against Nottingham Forest last Sunday as he opened the scoring in stunning fashion in the 2-0 win at St James’ Park.
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Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton trip
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe admitted he was mindful of the long journeys some of his players have to traven during the international break.
“I'm glad I'm not going with [Guimaraes and Joelinton to South Korea],” Howe said. “We had a quick chat at the end of the game. I mean, what those players do that play for their countries, that have to travel those kind of distances - I know it sounds easy - you're going to play for your country, you're going to fly halfway across the world, it's a privilege, and don’t get me wrong, the players know that. But it is hard and it's hard on their brains, their bodies.
“But what I love about those two individual players is that when they come back to us after those journeys, they come back with such a passion to play for the club again.