Brazil jumped all over South Korea to take a 4-0 lead in the first half. In the 8th minute, it was Vinicius, Jr. who opened the scoring for Brazil. A cross in the box ended up at his feet and the Real Madrid man cooly deposited it in the right corner of the goal. Shortly thereafter, in the 13th minute, Brazil was awarded a penalty after a foul in the box. Brazilian superstar Neymar, who sat out of the last two games of the group stage due to injury, stepped up to the spot and converted to give the Seleção a 2-0 lead. striker Richarlison got in on the scoring. In the 29th minute, and in the 37th minute, Lucas Paqueta made it 4-0. The Associated Press has the full story:
Neymar scores, Brazil led 4-0 S Korea at World Cup
Newslooks- DOHA, Qatar (AP)
Neymar started against South Korea in the round of 16 of the World Cup on Monday and scored in the first half to move one goal shy of Pelé’s all-time scoring record with Brazil.
Neymar converted a 13th-minute penalty kick to help Brazil build a 4-0 lead in the first half with the second goal of the match. Vinícius Júnior, Richarlison and Lucas Paquetá also scored for Brazil.
Neymar has 76 goals with Brazil, one shy of the all-time record set by Pelé.
The star forward hadn’t played since injuring his right ankle in the team’s opening match against Serbia. Brazil coach Tite had said Neymar would play from the start at Stadium 974 depending on how he did in training on Sunday.
The goal was Neymar’s 76th for his country. It pulls him within one of Pele’s all-time scoring record for Brazil’s national team.
Later in the half, striker Richarlison got in on the scoring. In the 29th minute, the Tottenham Hotspur forward played a give-and-go and made a darting run into the box. He received the return pass and slipped the ball past South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
Then, in the 37th minute, Lucas Paqueta made it 4-0. Arriving late in the box, Paqueta took a lofted pass from Vinicius, Jr. on the volley and found the back of the goal.
If the result holds, Brazil will face Croatia on Friday in the quarterfinals. Earlier today, Croatia defeated Japan on penalty kicks in their Round of 16 match.
Danilo, who also injured his ankle in Brazil’s opener, joined Neymar in the starting lineup against South Korea. He played at left back, though, because Alex Sandro remained sidelined with a hip injury. The other left back, Alex Telles, was dropped from the squad because of a knee injury sustained in Brazil’s loss to Cameroon in its last group game. Central defender Éder Militão was playing at right back.
Neymar’s teammates in attack were Vinícius Júnior, Richarlison and Raphinha.
Gabriel Jesus also was dropped from the squad because of a knee injury.
Brazil is trying to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the eighth straight time. South Korea hasn’t made it past the last 16 since its historic run to the semifinals in the tournament it co-hosted in 2002.
