Neymar the catalyst as Brazil produce classic World Cup display performance

DOHA, Qatar -- The quality of Richarlison's extremity and Brazil's 3rd adjacent prompted Tite to dance. That show of the 61-year-old manager joining successful the celebrations should beryllium ominous for the remainder of the teams astatine the World Cup.

Monday's 4-1 Brazilian demolition of South Korea, implicit with a mesmeric show by the returning Neymar serves arsenic a connection to the remainder of the tournament. Following a radical signifier wherever they showed glimpses of brilliance, the archetypal 45 minutes was a blur of superb yellowish and bluish arsenic they dismantled the absorption amid a flurry of flicks and tricks with Neymar the main puppeteer. He had the lucifer connected a portion of drawstring arsenic Brazil went into the interruption 4-0 up -- it could person easy been double. It's what Tite calls their "offensive boldness."

That archetypal 45 was arsenic adjacent arsenic you'll travel to seeing a implicit half. Take that 3rd extremity from Richarlison. After a South Korea clearance fell successful his direction, helium bounced the shot 3 times connected his head, spun past his marker, and laid it disconnected to Marquinhos. He played a abbreviated walk to Thiago Silva connected the borderline of the box, who responded with a bisecting done shot into Richarlison's way and helium finished the determination off: some centre backs playing a cardinal role, playing with precision to trade a extremity acceptable to honour immoderate Brazilian vintage.

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It was jogo bonito successful its 2022 form, Brazil playing arsenic a crystalized entity. For those 45 minutes, the knowing and spot was complete. It extended into aspects of the 2nd fractional -- adjacent to the constituent wherever Casemiro took it upon himself to region a flying interloper from Neymar's look arsenic helium prepared to instrumentality a second-half escaped footwear with the attacker already locked successful his acceptable portion process -- but of people with that benignant of vantage and the disruption of substitutes, the strength drops.

We've been waiting for this, and truthful has Neymar. Brazil person been connected a travel of contrasting emotions present successful Qatar. The cleanable 2-0 commencement against Serbia was tainted by the setback of losing Danilo and Neymar to injury. Then came the 1-0 triumph implicit Switzerland, but it was weighed against the wounded to Alex Sandro. The 1-0 decision to Cameroon followed, arsenic did the tournament-finishing setbacks for Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus. The notable performances of Casemiro against Switzerland and the relentlessness of Vinicius Junior and Richarlison against Serbia was each mislaid successful the interest and paranoia of different contention moving connected without the Selecao.

In those past 2 Neymar-less matches, they lacked a spark successful the mediate of the pitch. They tried short-term solutions: Lucas Paqueta struggled to capable it against Serbia, though Rodrygo did amended disconnected the bench. Rodrygo past couldn't get a clasp of the tempo against Cameroon successful a much-changed enactment up and that lucifer slipped away. But though Neymar is unpredictably superb connected the ball, helium brings bid to this team. Tite says Neymar brings "technical leadership." Brazil's adjunct manager Cesar Sampaio added "[Neymar] provides competitory advantage, helium makes the quality connected the pitch."

It wouldn't beryllium a World Cup without a Neymar setback. In 2014 helium watched connected injured arsenic Brazil mislaid their semifinal 7-1 to Germany. In 2018 helium came into the tourney disconnected the backmost of an ankle wounded and tried to play done the pain. Here it was that ankle sound against Serbia which triggered the instrumentality of achy memories. But possibly retired of that misfortune is simply a motion of Brazilian fortunes aligning for their sixth World Cup triumph.

Neymar -- implicit with his caller peroxide hairsbreadth bash -- was mesmerising against South Korea, but supra all, helium was the glue. Brazil's quality to power seamlessly betwixt formations indispensable beryllium capable to springiness the absorption question sickness, but immoderate the strategy -- whether he's dropping deep, drifting to the wing, oregon playing up beforehand arsenic a 2 with Richarlison, helium recovered a mode to power matters.

"I americium precise contented with my performance," Neymar said aft the match. "That said I tin ever improve, I cannot beryllium 100% satisfied with the show today. We request to turn arsenic our team."

For each the speech of Neymar, it possibly does the remainder of the squad a disservice: this was Paqueta's finest crippled of the tourney by immoderate region and his decorativeness for Brazil's 4th was testament to the assurance helium found. Richarlison was outstanding. Raphinha was determination to supply the assistance for Vinicius' calmly taken opener. The makeshift backmost 4 with Eder Militao astatine right-back, and Danilo switching flanks to the near meant South Korea's efforts were mostly from region for truthful overmuch of the match. And past determination was Casemiro -- the antheral who could power the game's heartbeat.

Brazil person often referenced the value of the corporate present successful Qatar. While it is classical sports-speak, erstwhile you spot Neymar celebrating his extremity from the punishment by moving into the stands to springiness the injury-stricken Alex Telles a hug, and past Weverton coming connected for the last 10 minutes for Alisson -- the third-choice keeper was the lone subordinate successful the squad not to person featured truthful acold successful this World Cup -- you spot manifestations of Tite's imaginativeness for this group.

But of course, 1 glorious 45 minutes successful the stadium of assembled shipping containers volition mean thing if the full Brazilian operation comes crashing down earlier the last connected Dec. 18. The 2nd fractional showed they tin beryllium pulled isolated astatine the back, and South Korea deserved their 76th infinitesimal goal. Nothing is cleanable -- which is capable to forestall complacency, fto unsocial the standards a Brazilian subordinate is held to.

When you're a Brazil player, determination are reminders of anticipation everywhere. Watching connected from the cushioned seats successful the stands similar benevolent Roman Emperors were the people of 1998 and 2002: Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Cafu and Roberto Carlos. They helped them triumph their 5th prima successful 2002.

Then there's the nation's thoughts with the sick Pele. Early successful the 2nd half, the supporters down the South Korea extremity unveiled a tifo sending their champion wishes and prayers to Pele. The players displayed their ain banner astatine full-time, which simply work "Pele." The fable himself sent a connection of bully luck to the squad earlier successful the day, but those reminders of the past each adhd to the privilege and unit of being Brazil subordinate successful the present. Whichever epoch you are in, successes and failures are everlastingly compartmentalised and evaluated against the bequest of erstwhile greats who wore the celebrated shirt.

That unit of anticipation is changeless but that archetypal fractional was them filling the shirt, alternatively than simply wearing it. And you felt Neymar's instrumentality and consequent show was the catalyst for it all. It was the line-up Brazil fans person been calling for, and for those 11 connected the pitch, the juncture and the returning unit meant for 45 minutes they danced and pulled isolated what could person been a tricky hostile arsenic their manager Tite watched on. "They person a connection of dancing," helium said afterwards.

That first-half show has acceptable the modular and benchmark which we indispensable clasp Brazil to. There are nary caveats oregon get-out clauses for this group. After what we saw successful the 974 Stadium against South Korea, thing little than Brazil getting that sixth prima connected their jersey would beryllium falling short. Tite's aware. After praising the team's "equilibrium" successful their triumph implicit South Korea, helium followed it up with a grounding qualification: "If you suffer balance, it tin beryllium fatal."