Tottenham fans sent messages of support to Richarlison after the forward was spotted in tears on Brazil’s bench.
Brazil beat Bolivia 5-1 in a huge result to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign in style, but it was a night to forget for Richarlison who was brutally benched after a quite stunning blunder.
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The Spurs striker was chosen to lead the line for his country on Friday night, but drew a blank as his teammates ran riot without him at the Estadio Mangueirao.
Two goals from Real Madrid star Rodrygo and a low strike from Barcelona’s Raphinha guided them on their way to victory.
Neymar missed a penalty but then converted two late chances to overtake football icon Pele as Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer.
It was not a great night for Richarlison, who is coming under pressure for his performances for club and country.
Even Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, making his international debut in the Brazil senior team, created more chances than the Tottenham forward.
The lowest moment came when Richarlison was put through with only the goalkeeper to beat, only for a poor first touch to ruin his chances of a tap-in.
He recovered brilliantly, though, with a neat feint that sat down a Bolivia defender and gave him an opportunity to find the net, only to blaze the ball over the bar from mere yards out.
Footage of the chance shows how the home supporters’ screams of glorious anticipation quickly turned to jeers after the shocking miss.
That happened in the 50th minute. He was replaced by Matheus Cunha in the 70th minute and was then spotted by TV cameras looking tearful as he sat on the bench, probably replaying the miss over and over in his head.
And seeing his devastation sparked Spurs fans into action, as many sent their support to the Brazilian star who has struggled to find form since his arrival at White Hart Lane.
The pressure is on him like never before with Harry Kane leaving his boyhood club for Bayern Munich in the summer, and supporters are backing Richarlison to come good.
A Tottenham fan account posted on Twitter: “Richarlison inconsolable on the sidelines after missing a big chance against Bolivia and being substituted. He is clearly going through a difficult time. We support you to bounce back and contribute massively to our season.”
That was not the only message for the £60million man.
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“Richarlison in tears after being subbed off against Bolivia… a difficult moment in his career but one I’m backing you to overcome,” another said.
One hopeful Spurs fan posted: “If anybody can get him back to his best, it’s Big Ange. We support you Richarlison.”
Many fans acknowledged their criticism of the ace, but then pledged their support: “I know us fans have been very critical of him, but at the end of the day we know the talent is in him. Just going through one of those rough slumps, I believe in him.”
Another said, simply: “We love you and we back you Richy.”
Richarlison has pleaded for patience from fans already this season, having failed to score in four Premier League appearances so far this term.
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Spurs have been flying under Ange Postecoglou, but their No.9 hasn’t really contributed, but he told fans his time will come.
“I think the fans have to be a little patient,” he said after Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
“It’s not easy to replace an idol like Harry Kane, that time is normal. Like it or not, a match in which I don’t score a goal, they’re going to miss him.
“He’s a guy who scored more than 200 goals for the club. It is to take as an example and try to score as many goals as possible with a Tottenham shirt. For sure, that’s why Tottenham paid dearly for me.
“That’s why they put me here, now it’s up to me, I have to do the job, I know my responsibility. We’ve been training and during training I’ve been doing well, scoring goals. I think it’s a matter of time for the goals to come out, there’s the harmony.”
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