Editorial (July 3, 2018) — Brazil was simply too strong for Mexico. The 2-0 victory for the South Americans does not reflect the reality of what happened at Samara Arena.
Brazil completely destroyed El Tri as they keep establishing themselves as the strongest contender of the tournament. It included an outstanding performance from Neymar as he scored the first goal and assisted the second to guide Brazil to its seventh straight World Cup quarterfinal appearance.
Neymar Finally Shows up as Brazil Hopes to Bring Back Glory Days
Unstoppable
Neymar dribbled at Mexico’s defense all game long, made key passes and for the first time in the competition we can say he played like the $263 million footballer he is.
Neymar shot seven times and four of those shots were on target, his most in the current World Cup. His 51st-minute goal on Monday was his second of the tournament. It seemed like he was not the fittest, especially after how often he was fouled against Switzerland. But against the overmatched Mexicans, he proved everyone wrong.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is arguably the best player in the Brazilian lineup, but the team showed they can play at the highest level without so much help from Neymar. That is why Brazil is slowly becoming a favorite to win their sixth World Cup trophy. They don’t depend on any one player.
However, Neymar’s presence on the pitch is still a headache for opposing teams. Brazil’s rivals can’t really do much to defend the 26-year-old player so they have to foul him to stop the beast.
Indeed, Neymar has 23 fouls suffered so far in this World Cup, more than any other player in the tournament. Against Mexico, it was the same old story.
But fouling him is probably not the best option if your player will receive a yellow or red card. So in that sense, you can consider that trying to defend Neymar is one of the hardest things on earth.
Can Brazil Realize World Cup Glory Once Again?
The Brazilian aspires to emulate his side’s glory days when the likes of Pelé, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and many others lifted the vaunted World Cup trophy. In 2016, he led his country to a historic first-ever football Gold Medal in the Olympic Games.
Now is the moment for Neymar to put his name among the best of all time. But the pathway is tough, with Belgium waiting for them in the next round and either France or Uruguay the opponent in the semis.
Nevertheless, Neymar has demonstrated he can captain his nation to the top of the world. If he is at his best, there’s nothing that can stop him.
