Brazil's Neymar during training Reuters/Ibraheem Al Omari
Doha: Neymar insisted Brazil are not getting carried away after a superlative first-half performance shattered Korea Republic in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 on Monday.
The South Americans have a short turnaround ahead of a quarter-final meeting with 2018 runners-up Croatia on Friday; the winners of that tie facing either Argentina or Netherlands for a place in the final. Neymar provided a notable boon for the five-times champions on Monday when he returned from an ankle injury to navigate 81 minutes without any ill effects.
The 30-year-old wrote his name into the national team record books for good measure, converting a penalty to join Pele and Ronaldo in a select group of Brazilians who have scored in three World Cups.
The cheekily-taken penalty – Neymar’s shimmying, feinting approach essentially sold a dummy to goalkeeper Kim Seunggyu – moved the Paris Saint-Germain player on to 76 international goals, one behind Pele on the Brazil all-time scorers list.
And it is the collective target of winning the country’s first World Cup in 20 years that is driving Neymar and his teammates.
“Absolutely, it’s time to go further in the competition,” Neymar told FIFA. “Obviously, we’re dreaming about the title, but we have to go step by step. Korea Republic was the fourth game. We have three games left. We’re very well prepared and totally focused on winning the title. “Breaking records is a great source of pride for me. I achieved certain things I never thought I would, so I am really happy.”
Brazil celebrated their victory over Korea Republic by displaying a banner dedicated to Pele, who posted on social media over the weekend to say he was “strong, very hopeful and following my treatment as usual”.
“It’s very hard to speak about what Pele is going through, but I only wish him the best,” said Neymar. “I hope he gets well as soon as possible and that this win has given him some comfort.” - FIFA
