Neymar channelled his inner Lionel Messi by taking a page out of his Paris Saint-Germain teammate’s playbook with a sensationally rare skill move against South Korea.
Brazil punched their ticket to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar with a resounding 4-1 win over South Korea in the last 16 on Monday evening.
Tite’s men produced a mesmerising display in the first half to take a thumping 4-0 lead over South Korea, with Neymar expertly converting from the spot-kick.
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Brazil will now face Croatia, who defeated Japan on penalties in their last-16 tie on Monday, in a quarter-final clash on 9th December at the Education City Stadium.
However, eagle-eyed fans spotted the moment when Neymar used a Messi-esque skill move to fool two South Korea players.
Neymar, known for his Brazilian flair with skill moves, could be seen using referee Clement Turpin as essentially a ‘smokescreen’ before pulling the ball back.
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Footage of the 30-year-old Brazilian winger’s skill move quickly made the rounds on social media, with fans comparing it to a similar manoeuvre Messi did at Barcelona.
“Easily the second most talented player of the Messi era,” one fan said in response to the footage.
While another fan tweeted: “South American heritage.”
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A third Twitter user added: “Greatness is contagious.”
And a fourth posted: “It reminded me of that instantly.”
Neymar was ruled out of Brazil’s Group G clashes with Switzerland and Cameroon after sustaining ligament damage in his right ankle in his side’s 2-0 win over Serbia.
The PSG star’s return to the starting XI for the last-16 tie against South Korea was a major boost for Tite’s Brazil, who are considered one of the tournament favourites.
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Neymar’s PSG teammate Messi believes that Argentina’s South American rivals are in a strong position to win the World Cup.
“We have seen the entire World Cup. The matches that we can, of course,” he said.
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“Brazil is playing very well, except for the defeat they had against Cameroon, they continue to be one of the great favourites.
“Also France. And Spain, despite the manner of their progress [losing against Japan], because they played very well, they are really clear about what their game is when they have the ball, they control possession for a long time of the game.”
Featured Image Credit: TwitterTopics: Neymar, Lionel Messi, Football World Cup, South Korea, Brazil, Football
