The FIFA World Cup Kickaround, Halftime, and Postgame Thread For 7/8/14: The Beatdown in Belo (Final Version)

Well, that question was firmly answered below. 

He didn't, and his teammate didn't. 

Pre-Match Thread 

For the last four years, David Luiz has been mostly an adventure at centerback whenever Thiago Silva was not with him.

Now without the services of his new club teammate at PSG and long time buddy, David Luiz's stability as a central defender will be defined today.

With Dante as his partner, he will need to showcase that he can truly be a force in front of Julio Cesar regardless of who is partnering with him. It said something immensely when Jose Mourinho had to concede that one of his bitter adversaries, Rafa Benitez, was right about the former Chelsea man being elite only as a holding midfielder. The fact that Luiz was played predominantly in front of Gary Cahill and John Terry for the second half of the season speaks to how Mourinho knew that Luiz wasn't stable at the back.

Luiz has been terrific thus far in this tournament, with key tackles and recoveries before his two goals scored in the last two games. Can he repeat that without Silva though, the partner who makes him look like a world class centerback? We shall see.