Brazilian media destroy West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta after woeful World Cup exit
Brazilian media outlet UOL has destroyed West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta for his performance in Brazil’s woeful World Cup exit at the hands of Croatia.
The Quarter Final fixture went to penalties on 9 December after a hotly contested chess game between the two nations resulted in a 1-1 draw after extra time.
UOL confessed that Paqueta went “missing” during the game, blasting the Hammers’ main man’s performance during the game.
“With 30 players, another clear opportunity for Brazil with Neymar, who stopped Livakovic after a good pass from Rodrygo. At 35 minutes, Rodrygo served the missing Paquetá, but the kick was in the middle. In the end, the selection tried, but 0 to 0 persisted,” said uol.com.
“And Croatia ended regulation time with more ball possession (44 x 42%). And it went into the fifth overtime in the last six World Cup knockout games.”
Damning.
The loss does the Hammers no favours at all, a disappointed Paqueta is the last thing the club needs heading into a crowded Premier League schedule.
He will undoubtedly face major scrutiny over his FIFA World Cup Quarter Final performance, one which ultimately wasn’t good enough.
The Brazilian will have to grasp tightly onto the games where he flourished though, especially the Round of 16 game against South Korea.
It’s unclear how the midfielder will take the damning loss, with luck, he’ll be able to get over it fairly quickly with a Premier League start just weeks away.
It’s arguably the toughest part of being a professional footballer, picking yourself up after big losses and going at it again, but this is something Paqueta needs to do.
The Brazilian Hammers teammates and David Moyes must do everything in their power to get the maestro smiling and ready to fight for the remainder of the West Ham United campaign.