Neymar inspired Brazil to a stunning win over South Korea - and then admitted he had feared his World Cup was over.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward injured his ankle in Brazil’s opening game and was a major doubt for the rest of the tournament. However, he recovered in time to score his 76th goal in a Brazilian shirt from the penalty spot as South Korea were blown away in Stadium 974.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, Tottenham's Richarlison and West Ham's Lucas Paqueta were also among the goals as the Selecao cruised to a 4-1 victory on Monday. Paik Seung-ho's second-half consolation goal - a powerful deflected effort from range - was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect night for the five-time world champions.
Brazil arrived in Qatar as favourites to lift the trophy and their campaign is back on track after Neymar recovered from injury in time for the knockout stage. “After I was injured, I spent a very difficult night,” Neymar said. “I was thinking bad things and I was afraid of not being able to play in the World Cup again.
“I took strength from messages of support when I could find none. The way I can say thank you is through my performance. I would like to thank God for the strength I have to be back on the pitch. I am very happy to be back. I am happy that I played well.”
Neymar was also happy to come through unscathed in the 4-1 win and is fighting fit for the quarter-final clash with Croatia on Friday. He went on: “I did not feel any pain on my ankle and was content with my performance and our performance.
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“But we cannot be 100 per cent satisfied - we need to grow as a team. I want to do everything I can to help the team win this tournament - that’s our mission, that’s our dream.”
After the full-time whistle blew at Stadium 974, Brazil players unfurled a banner paying tribute to Pele after the global football legend was admitted to end-of-life care over the weekend. Reports in the 82-year-old's homeland claim he has become unresponsive to the chemotherapy which has been treating his bowel cancer.
Neymar is just one goal away from matching Pele's tally of 77 goals in a Brazil shirt and will hope to do so as he searches for his first taste of World Cup glory. In a further statement of the Selecao's strength in depth, Brazil manager Tite substituted on third-choice goalkeeper Weverton against South Korea, meaning he has used all 26 players in his squad in Qatar.
