India, June 12 -- Perhaps this is the best time to start the trend that Brazil's World Cup salvation probably rides 24-year cycles ending in the United States. Kicking off with a difficult tie? That too, given this is the only group-stage fixture to feature two teams inside the top 10 - Brazil are sixth, Morocco eighth - of the FIFA world rankings. Also probably add Brazil's fifth-place qualification - their worst from the South America group since the format was introduced 30 years ago - to underscore the point that this could have been a near-miss.

For all the intrigue surrounding Brazil at the World Cup, the psychological aspect of following them is often reinvented as a coping mechanism for their faithful. Every World Cup can't be wo...