Brazil coasted into the quarter-finals of the World Cup as an exuberant first-half performance helped them to a 4-1 win over South Korea on Monday night.
Tite’s side were boosted by the return of Neymar – who suffered an ankle injury in the opening win over Serbia – and the 30-year-old announced his return with a penalty that moved him one goal behind Pele’s international record of 77 (13), which doubled Brazil’s lead after Vinicius Junior’s cool opener (7).
Richarlison then netted his third goal of the tournament after some of the most exquisite build-up (29) and it was 4-0 before the break when West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta guided in a shot to get in on the act (36).
But with the job already very much done by the break, the momentum slowed after it. As a result, South Korea did not let their heads drop and they had a brief moment to celebrate when Seung-Ho Paik reduced the deficit with a thumping strike (76).
Unsurprisingly, it was not enough to inspire a comeback from Paulo Bento’s side, who exit after having reached the knockout stages for the first time since 2010
Brazil, meanwhile, advance to the last eight of the tournament, where a clash with Croatia awaits on Friday afternoon.
Brazil now advance to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Croatia for a place in the semi-finals of the tournament on Friday which will kick-off at the Education City Stadium at 4pm