Categories: Qatar 2022Sports

Brazil Trash South Korea 4-1 To Reach World Cup Quarter-Finals

Brazil players stand behind a banner honouring Brazilian football legend Pele after they won the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and South Korea at Stadium 974 in Doha on December 5, 2022. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

 

Neymar returned from injury to help inspire Brazil to a 4-1 victory over South Korea on Monday as the favourites cruised through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The world’s most expensive player had sat out his team’s last two matches with a sprained ankle suffered in their first game in Qatar, a 2-0 win over Serbia.

But he came back for this last-16 tie as Tite’s team clicked into gear and delivered an ominous message to their rivals, at least before easing off in the second half.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring inside seven minutes before Neymar added another from the penalty spot to move to 76 goals for his country, leaving him just one away from equalling Pele’s all-time record tally.

Richarlison’s brilliant goal made it 3-0 and Lucas Paqueta added another before half-time to leave South Korea shellshocked.

Paik Seung-ho pulled one back but by then Brazil were thinking about Friday’s quarter-final clash with 2018 runners-up Croatia.

The five-time World Cup winners had not scored four goals in a knockout game at the tournament since 1998.

Here they played at times with the joy associated with the Brazilian national team, the players coming together to celebrate each goal by showing off their dance moves and their coach even joining in.

If they finished playing within themselves, their first-half display was superb and a fitting tribute to the great Pele.

The Brazilian legend had said he would watch the game from the Sao Paulo hospital to where he was admitted last week amid ongoing treatment for colon cancer, and supporters in Doha’s Stadium 974 unfurled a banner with a get well soon message to him.

All of it was a chastening experience for Son Heung-min and South Korea, who have still never won a World Cup knockout match outside their own country.

Tite made 10 changes to the Brazil team after rotating his squad for the 1-0 loss to Cameroon which came after qualification for the last 16 had been secured.

Danilo also returned from injury at left-back, while Eder Militao was the only player to keep his place and shifted across to right-back.

AFP

Donatus Anichukwueze

Disqus Comments Loading...
Share
Published by
Donatus Anichukwueze

Recent Posts

Tyrants Won’t Become Leaders In Parliamentary Democracy — Utomi 

The thought leader noted that thriving democracies in the world practice parliamentary democracy.

25 mins ago

Tinubu Appoints Abdullahi Bello As CCB Chairman 

By the presidential pronouncement, Abdullahi Bello replaces Aliyu Kankia, who has been the acting Chairman…

59 mins ago

NAFDAC Cracks Down On Fake Bottled Water Syndicate In Rivers

The illicit scheme involved affixing pre-printed Eva labels onto the bottles and sealing them with…

3 hours ago

New Senegal President’s Home Village Full Of Pride, Hope And Advice

The uncle of the new president and his namesake Diomaye Faye said that running as…

4 hours ago

‘Caution Wike’, Sekibo, Secondus, Omehia, Others Pledge Support For Tinubu

They expressed their displeasure at the direction of events unfolding politically in the state and…

4 hours ago

Sean Combs, The Rap Mogul Facing A Web Of Sex Crime Allegations

He has no major convictions but has long been trailed by allegations of physical assault,…

4 hours ago