Without Michael Essian, Ghana never had a prayer. You can almost always hope that if the favorite plays poorly and the Cinderella overperforms, there is always a chance for an upset. There was never a chance of one in this match. Brazil didn’t come close to getting out of first gear, and still cruised past a Ghana team that played about as well as they could have. It ended 3-0, but it could have been 6 or 7.

Ronaldgrande put one in after 5 minutes, and the match became something like a scrimmage for Brazil. They never looked back, nor needed to. Ghana would have been a better tune-up for them than the school boys they used in the friendlies before the Cup got under way, but only just. The Brazilians have hardly broken a sweat so far.

The Round of 16 has had its moments, but everyone managed to get through that was supposed to. Spain/France is yet to play, but whoever wins that one won’t be a huge surprise. Whoever it is, Brazil will at least be required to pay attention for a change. A second gear, at least, should be required.