Manchester United were represented by three players as much-changed Brazil suffered a surprising defeat in their World Cup showdown with Cameroon - although Alex Telles, Fred and Antony had all joined Casemiro on the bench by the time the African side grabbed a dramatic late winner.
Having picked up maximum points from their opening two Group G matches, five-time winners Brazil were already through to the knockout stage in first place by the time they strode out at the magnificent Lusail Stadium on Friday night. It provided them with an opportunity to rest key players for the last 16.
Casemiro was among those to put his feet up, while injured Brazil superstar Neymar was not summoned, as serious question marks remain over his fitness. But for Telles, Fred and Antony, there were important matters at stake in the pursuit to be included next up against South Korea.
READ MORE: United stance on Iqbal future
South Korea had served up their own drama earlier on Friday afternoon when gunning down Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to leave Facundo Pellistri and Uruguay heartbroken. As the dust settled in Qatar, meanwhile, it was over to three current United players to make their mark in Group G.
Fred started and played alongside Liverpool midfielder Fabinho in the engine room. Realistically, those two have an eye on one place moving forward with rested Casemiro one of the first names on the Brazil teamsheet - similar to his status at Old Trafford following a summer move from Real Madrid.
As things stand, Fred has played 128 minutes in the tournament while Fabinho has only played 90 minutes, meaning he was on the pitch when Cameroon struck late on. Lucas Paqueta also has to be factored in but, having performed well in his 55-minute appearance, Fred could well be in pole position to retain his place.
Things are a little less certain for Telles and Antony, even after the latter showed one or two glimpses of his ability in the Cameroon game. Making his first start, the United forward played 79 minutes before he too was handed some rest time at the death.
Antony has Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jnr to compete against. It's a similar story with Telles, although first-choice Alex Sandro was injured before the Cameroon match as his understudy got 55 minutes and he was substituted as part of a double change alongside Fred.
MORE TO READ:
