'Sacked' - Newcastle United star is media scapegoat for international failure

He may well have been the five-time World Champions' man-of-the-match against England at the weekend, but Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was the Brazilian media's scapegoat in the midweek clash with Brazil.

Guimaraes was the jewel in the crown of Brazil's midfield at Wembley as his deep-lying midfielder remit was carried out to a T. However, it appears as if Bruno didn't carry that sparkle into the midweek 3-3 draw with Spain.

Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte, in their player ratings, were less than complimentary about their No.5's performance.

Rating him they said: "Below what he can produce. In the 34th minute, he missed a pass in front of the area that almost led to a goal for Spain. Shortly afterwards, he clashed with [Aymeric] Laporte and received a yellow card. He did very little with the ball at his feet and ended up being sacked at half-time." Guimaraes, taken off at half-time as so politely put above, was given just 4.5 out of 10. He was not the worst performer, though, with Paris Saint-Germain central defender Lucas Beraldo holding that crown, getting just 4/10. Brazil have come under fire after an awful World Cup qualifying campaign in which they lost three consecutive, competitive matches for the first time ever. That included a 1-0 home loss to Argentina back in November 2023.

The 1-0 win over England at Wembley, courtesy of Endrick's first international goal, put an end to that run - and saw Dorival Junior's reign as boss get off on the right foot.

Brazil snatched a draw at the Bernabeu with a 96th-minute penalty from Lucas Paqueta to make it 3-3.

While the view on his Brazil performances may be mixed, Newcastle United fans will care little, with the player, fingers crossed, returning to the club's Benton training base this week unscathed.

The Magpies take on West Ham United at St James' Park on Saturday looking to reignite their push to finish in the Premier League European slots.