Picture Credit: Twitter
Neymar Jr’s double led Brazil’s dominant 5-1 victory over South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. Richarlison opened up the scoring for the Seleção in the seventh minute with a right-footed finish from close range which was assisted by Fred.
Then 24 minutes later, the Taegeuk Warriors retaliated thanks to Hwang Ui-jo, who slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. With the scores level at 1-1, both teams played some grueling football until the 42nd minute, when Neymar was fouled in the box by Lee Yong and received a penalty.
The PSG forward aced the spot-kick and netted the ball straight into the bottom right corner. Similarly, in the second half, Kim Young-Gwon brought down Alex Sandro in the penalty area. Hence, Neymar once again stepped forward and scored his second goal of the game. With this penalty, he is four goals away from reaching Pele’s record of 82 goals as the country's top scorer.
After no changes on the scoreboard, Aston Villa Midfielder Phillipe Coutinho added Brazil’s fourth goal in the 70th minute. The former Liverpool man scored from a right footed shot from the left of the box with a postage stamp finish to make the score 4-1. Then three minutes into extra time, Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus sealed the game with his goal into the left corner assisted by Bruno Guimarães.
“Work hard, I work quietly. I'm not one to retort: Jesus
After the game, Jesus reacted to his performance and addressed the critics for their comments. He said, "I believe in luck, but not in this case. I work hard, I work quietly. I'm not one to retort. I don't respond to praise or criticism, it was more the work. Not only my goal but the team's performance as well. Selection, which is very good."
He also talked about how he wasn’t playing well in the last few games and wanted to work hard to solidify his place. He said, "I wasn't happy with my performances. I tried to improve, to work. I've been living a very good moment, both at the club and personally. I just have to work and the opportunities will appear."