Neymar, Danilo returns have Brazil dancing into World Cup quarterfinals with win vs. S. Korea

DOHA, Qatar -- Brazil looked each spot similar the tourney favourite arsenic they danced and precocious to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 win implicit South Korea astatine 974 Stadium, knocking the past squad from Asia retired of the World Cup.

If determination was immoderate thought that South Korea could bent with Brazil, those thoughts faded astir immediately. Vinicius Junior got Brazil connected the scoreboard conscionable 7 minutes into the game

When Neymar, returning from injury, scored a punishment six minutes later, it was lights out. Both Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta besides scored first-half goals arsenic Brazil returned to form.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights & notable moments | Postgame quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. Neymar and Danilo instrumentality to substance Brazil

The shadiness formed implicit Brazil by Neymar's ankle wounded loomed ample implicit the past week. To suffer him and Danilo successful the opening crippled didn't needfully fig to interaction the team's chances to beforehand aboriginal successful the tournament, but it could person posed immoderate longer-term problems for the knockout stage. When Neymar got the go-ahead Sunday, the speech shifted to: "We'll spot however acceptable helium looks."

The verdict is in: He's back. All the mode back.

For 80 minutes, Neymar moved astir the tract without a motion of a subordinate with an wounded concern. And successful the archetypal half, earlier Brazil took its ft disconnected the gas, Neymar's beingness commanded South Korea's attraction much than anyone else.

The abstraction Neymar created for the remainder of Brazil's embarrassment of attacking riches made for 1 of the astir breathtaking attacking displays this World Cup has seen. That, combined with Danilo's return, bodes good for Brazil, peculiarly aft Danilo's efforts contributed to unbalancing South Korea successful the midfield, which made them truthful susceptible repeatedly.

Brazil's 4-0 halftime pb is tied for the 2nd largest astatine the interruption ever successful a World Cup (the lone larger borderline was Germany's 5-0 pb against Brazil successful 2014).

2. More dancing than defending

Early during the tournament, Brazil guardant Raphina fto it gaffe that the Selecao had prepared 10 dances to observe goals with. Sure, possibly it was a small arrogant, but it illustrated the mindset of wherever this squad was.

They came to people -- people a batch -- and person amusive doing it. But aft a radical signifier that saw the Brazilians find the backmost of the nett conscionable 3 times, the request for further choreography successful Qatar didn't look likely.

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Then came the onslaught. With each beautifully-taken extremity against South Korea, a caller creation followed. Even Tite, the 61-year-old coach, got successful connected the action. With the result determined, the crippled turned into a celebration. A carnival successful the desert, if you will.

Brazil didn't conscionable enactment connected an absurd amusement of accomplishment and method ability, it reminded the satellite that they play a game. And adjacent connected sports' biggest stage, games are meant to beryllium fun.

3. Exit doesn't diminish palmy World Cup for South Korea

In a radical with Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana, it was imaginable that South Korea could person played to their imaginable successful Qatar and inactive not reached the knockout rounds. That they got retired of the group, leaving Uruguay down the successful the process, guaranteed this to beryllium remembered arsenic a palmy tournament.

Maybe aft seeing immoderate shocking upsets successful the radical stages, determination was mendacious anticipation that the aforesaid was imaginable against Brazil, but the gulf successful endowment was evident conscionable minutes into the game.

There isn't a azygous subordinate connected the South Korean roster that would ace Brazil's starting XI -- yes, including Son Heung-min -- and erstwhile that's the case, there's nary request to beryllium captious astir specified a lopsided defeat.

For Son, the World Cup could person gone better. He's 1 of champion attacking players successful the world, truthful for him not to people successful immoderate of the team's 4 games is disappointing. Still, this was lone the 3rd clip South Korea reached this signifier of the tourney and they person taken portion successful each World Cup since 1986.

Player ratings

Brazil: Alisson 7, Danilo 7, Thiago Silva 7, Marquinhos 7, Casemiro 7, Lucas Paqueta 8, Richarlison 8, Neymar 8, Raphinha 8, Eder Militao 7, Vinicius Junior 8

Subs: Bremer 6, Dani Alves 6, Rodrygo 6, Bariel Martinelli 6, Weverton n/a

South Korea: Kim Seunggyu 5, Kim Jinsu 5, Kim Minjae 5, Jung Wooyoung 5, Hwang Ibbeom 5, Son Heung-min 6, Cho Guesung 6, Lee Jaesung 5, Hwang Heechan 5, Kim Moonhwan 6, Kim Younggwon 6

Subs: Hong Chul 5, Paik Seung-Ho 5, Son Jun-Ho 5, Lee Kang-In 5, Hwang Ui-Jo 5

Best and worst performers

BEST: Richarlison, Brazil

There is an unwritten regularisation present that if a extremity comes astatine the extremity of an intricate passing series initiated the 3 consecutive headed juggles by the extremity scorer, that subordinate gets recognized successful this space. It was much than infinitesimal of magic from Richarlison, helium was astatine the bosom of Brazil astatine onslaught arsenic it took control.

WORST: Kim Jin-Su, South Korea

Kim Jin-Su had a unsmooth nighttime astatine near back, which was going to beryllium a pugnacious duty for idiosyncratic utilized to defending successful the K-League.

Highlights and notable moments

The highlights from this lucifer are plentiful -- arsenic agelong arsenic you are a Brazil fan.

It took lone astir six minutes for Brazil to commencement the enactment arsenic South Korea's defence was knocked disconnected kilter. Vinicius Junior calmly picked retired his spot and fired past goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu.

More goals followed, with Neymar scoring a punishment successful the 13th infinitesimal and Richarlison successful the 29th.

By that point, it became beauteous wide that South Korea were not going to beryllium capable to halt this enactment and Brazil's manager, Tite, adjacent joined successful connected the dancing celebrations.

Tite joins successful connected the amusive 😂🇧🇷🕺 pic.twitter.com/JXnAe8JHnG

After the match: What the players and managers said

Neymar connected returning from injury: "I americium precise blessed to beryllium backmost successful the tract of play, blessed to person played good and present being called the Man of the Match is hard arsenic everyone played precise well. We are blessed with our performance. We wanted to determination to the adjacent round, triumph and that's what we got."

Neymar connected however helium feels aft his injury: "Pain? No, I did consciousness immoderate symptom connected my ankle -- I deliberation my show was good. I americium precise contented with my performance. That said, I tin ever improve, I cannot beryllium 100% satisfied with the show contiguous -- we request to turn arsenic our squad and I deliberation the prize is not for me, but for everyone. I americium precise blessed with the show of my teammates."

Neymar connected the enactment he's received: "I lone person words of acknowledgment for each the emotion they sent my way. When I got injured I spent a hard night, I was reasoning of a cardinal antithetic things. I was acrophobic of not being capable to play successful the World Cup again. I person the enactment of my family, colleagues and I looked for spot wherever I could not find it. When I was speechmaking the messages of encouragement, it was bully for me. So convey you for those who sent maine messages since the archetypal infinitesimal I got injured."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

• With his extremity against South Korea, Neymar joins Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xherdan Shaqiri and Ivan Perisic arsenic the lone players to people successful each of the past 3 FIFA World Cups.

• Neymar's past six nationalist squad goals person been penalties. Neymar has converted his past 13 punishment kicks for Brazil (shootouts not included).

• Neymar has go the 3rd Brazilian subordinate to people successful 3 antithetic editions of the World Cup, alongside Ronaldo and Pelé.

Up next

Brazil: With their win, Brazil determination onto the quarterfinals wherever they volition look Croatia connected Dec. 9.

South Korea: The South Koreans are retired of the World Cup.