Richarlison completed a thrilling mid-air jump-volley, catching the ball expertly to send it zinging into the near corner of the Serbia goal. This was the real magic of the finish because he let the ball drop over one shoulder, then swivelled under its arc, letting it drop out of his line of sight.
As it turns out, it didn’t occur to the Tottenham striker to choose such an incredibly-athletic kick out of the blue. He, in fact, rehearsed it before the match during the practice session.
Multiple videos have emerged that shows how Richarlison, the latest Brazilian star in the football galaxy, used a near-identical shot to score a goal in the practice session.
Richarlison gave Brazil the lead with a close-range finish after Vanja Milinkovic-Savic deflected Vinicius Junior's shot into his path after Serbia had kept the top-ranked team at bay for more than an hour.
Richarlison doubled the lead with the amazing turn-and-shot goal that flew past the Serbia goalie and lit up the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. His superb performance more than justified Brazil's selection of him over Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal.
Meanwhile, the absence of Brazil's Neymar from his team's victory over Serbia in their FIFA World Cup opener has raised questions about his physical condition. The Brazilian forward - who built up the first goal that Richarlison finished - appeared in pain as ice was taped to his injured ankle after receiving a blow to it.
In the post-game news conference with manager Tite, the team doctor for Brazil - Rodrigo Lasmar - stated that star player Neymar would have an ankle scan. “The most important thing for us is to have him at 100% for the next match," said Richarlison.
