Qatar World Cup 2022 Brazil vs South Korea – Return of Neymar
Brazil’s dazzling performance over South Korea has set a tone for the rest of the World Cup – and the mountain teams need to climb to beat them.
Brazil beat South Korea 4-1 and in spectacular fashion, they now face Croatia on Friday for their quarter-final match.
The match – the best footballing performance of the tournament so far – has sealed Brazil’s status as World Cup favourites.
Richarlison delivered Brazil’s third goal (at the 29-minute mark) that will be long remembered.
The goal was a marvel of pin-point passing around the edge of the area before Richarlison juggled the ball on his head and once with his foot, then laid it off to Marquinhos.
He delivered to Thiago Silva and his first-time pass slotted in Richarlison on the run to give the move the finish it deserved past the keeper.
Richarlison’s acrobatic bicycle kick against Serbia was magical, but this may just have surpassed it with a glorious mixture of individual brilliance and passing perfection.
The return of Neymar
Neymar returned to starting XI after being out for most of the group-stage games following an injury.
Brazil are in perfect shape going into the quarter-finals despite the injury losses of Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles.
Neymar was the headline at but he has to share the spotlight with attacking teammates Richarlison and Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius showed his class, putting Brazil ahead after just seven minutes, and then Neymar got in the act with a confident penalty. It leaves him one goal behind Pele’s all-time record of 77 goals for his country.
Lucas Paqueta volleyed a fourth from Vinicius’ cross before half-time.
The four goals in 45 minutes allowed Brazil to play a slower game in the second half, preserving energy for their upcoming quarter-final game against Croatia.
Brazil’s World Cup campaign
Brazil have had a smooth ride in the World Cup so far, despite losing a game to Cameroon in the group stage.
If the last game of the group stages had Brazilian fans worried, the first 45 minutes of the South Korea game would have calmed their nerves. The outstanding performance provided a glimpse of Brazil’s full power – showing other serious contenders what they will have to overcome if they have any chance of winning the World Cup.
The return of Neymar gave Brazil a little something extra, inspiring a performance that has now set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
