NEW JERSEY (United States) — Brazil defender Douglas Santos said the five-time World Cup winners cannot afford to take Haiti lightly after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opener.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side toiled against Morocco in New Jersey and must beat Group C minnows Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday to ease the pressure.
“We can’t allow ourselves that kind of talk that it’s Haiti and we’re going to beat them by a big margin,” Douglas Santos told a news conference Tuesday in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where the team is based.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground, be humble and know that the three points are the most important thing right now,” Santos added according to AFP.
Haiti, playing in their first World Cup since 1974, lost 1-0 to Scotland in a tightly contested match in Boston on Saturday.
“They are a physically strong team, with an intensity that, from what I saw against Scotland, shows they are very competitive. It will be a very difficult match, and the first thing we have to think about is winning,” said Douglas Santos.
The 32-year-old, who started against Morocco, said Brazil will need to “play much better” and improve defensively, having conceded at least one goal in each of their last six matches.
He expressed confidence that the Selecao would improve now the pressure and anxiety of their World Cup opener had passed, with Brazil seeking their first title since 2002.
“There are a lot of hard-fought games, a lot of draws… So we have to be prepared emotionally and physically to be able to give our very best,” said the Zenit Saint Petersburg left-back.
He also said there is hope within the camp that Neymar will recover soon from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past month.
“We’re praying for him to get back to 100%, because when he’s at 100% he’ll be someone who can help us a lot.”
