Brazil dances into quarters

Croatia finds way to next round via shootout

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Brazil hit top gear with Neymar back in the line-up to brush aside South Korea 4-1 on Monday and ease into the quarterfinals of the World Cup where they will face Croatia.

Neymar had been sidelined for two matches with a sprained ankle but with the world’s most expensive player restored to their side, Brazil’s yellow shirts poured forward at Stadium 974.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring inside seven minutes before Neymar added another from the penalty spot to move to 76 goals for his country, leaving him just one away from equalling Pele’s all-time record tally.

The ailing Pele watched from his hospital bed in Sao Paulo where the 82-year-old was admitted last Tuesday amid ongoing treatment for colon cancer.

He will have enjoyed Richarlison’s dazzling goal to make it 3-0 before Lucas Paqueta added another before half-time, all celebrated with dance routines as Brazil’s supporters roared their approval.

Paik Seung-ho pulled a goal back for the Koreans when the Brazilians took their foot off the pedal, but their thoughts had already turned to Friday’s quarterfinal clash with 2018 runners-up Croatia.

It was the first time that Brazil had scored four goals in a World Cup knockout game since 1998 and the performance rapped out a warning to their rivals that they have a sixth title in their sights.

“We are dreaming of winning the title, that’s obvious, but we have to go step by step,” Neymar said.

He admitted he had feared at one point that he would not play again in the tournament after injuring his ankle in Brazil’s opening game against Serbia.

“When I got injured I spent a very difficult night. I was thinking of a million different things.”

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was the hero for Croatia in the day’s other Last 16 tie, saving three penalties in the shootout as his side beat Japan, 3-1, to reach the Last 8.

Japan had already beaten European heavyweights Germany and Spain in Qatar and they looked on track to take down 2018 runners-up Croatia when Daizen Maeda put them ahead just before half-time.

But Ivan Perisic brought Croatia level in the 55th minute with an impressive header from Dejan Lovren’s cross and a hard-fought match became the first of this World Cup to go into extra time.