Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes admitted the tournament favorites lacked some of their usual verve after they needed a late Casemiro strike to beat Switzerland 1-0 and secure a place in the last 16.
The five-time World Cup winners knew a second straight win in Group G would clinch their place in the knockout phase with a game to spare.
But it looked like they would have to settle for a draw until holding midfielder Casemiro, not known for his goalscoring, popped up with a deflected strike seven minutes from time.
"It was a really difficult game and a 0-0 suited them, but the most important thing is that we are through," said Guimaraes, who came on as a second-half substitute.
He replaced Fred, who was in the starting lineup in the absence of star forward Neymar, sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in the opening 2-0 win over Serbia. "Neymar is such a player. What team wouldn't miss him?" Guimaraes asked.
Despite the absence of Neymar, matchwinner Casemiro believes Brazil are a more complete team now than four years ago, when they crashed out of the World Cup in Russia in the quarter-finals. "There are new players and our defenders are more experienced," said the Manchester United star - one of the few survivors from a draw with Switzerland in the 2018 group stage.
Brazil needed Casemiro's late goal to defeat Switzerland. AP
