Brazil were simply irresistible in the first half. They went in at the break 4-0 up and it could easily have been seven or eight. Yes, South Korea caused their own problems by pushing so far up the pitch and leaving so few players back but Brazil still had to know how to exploit it and exploit it they did. The Associated Press has the story:
Brazil beats S Korea 4-1 to quarterfinals at World Cup
The Seleção did the majority of its damage in the first half. Vinicius, Jr., Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta all found the back of the South Korean net during the first 45 minutes of action.
Despite the insurmountable deficit, the South Koreans came out in the second half and showed a lot of fight.
They opened the half on the attack and an early shot from Son Heung-Min had to be turned away by Brazil’s goalie Alisson.
Neymar scored a goal in his return from injury and Brazil beat South Korea 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Monday.
Neymar converted a first-half penalty for his 76th goal with Brazil and move one shy of Pelé all-time scoring record with the national team.
The 82-year-old Pelé said he was going to watch the match on television while hospitalized in Brazil to treat a respiratory infection.
Vinícius Júnior, Richarlison and Lucas Paquetá also scored in the first half for Brazil, which made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the eighth straight time.
South Korea was trying to advance past the round of 16 for the first time since its historic run as a co-host in 2002, when it made it to the semifinals and ended up fourth.
Paik Seung-ho scored South Korea’s goal in the 76th minute.
Brazil also showed little signs of letting up. In the 55th minute, South Korean goalie Kim Seung-gyu came up with a diving fingertip save to keep the Brazilians from getting their 5th goal.
In the 76th minute, South Korea finally got one back. Paik Seung-ho smashed a screamer from outside the box that denied Brazil the clean sheet.
World Cup 2022’s Round of 16 finishes up tomorrow with two more matches to decide the final 8 of the tournament. At 10 a.m. ET, Morocco takes on Spain. Then at 2 p.m. ET Portugal faces Switzerland.
Next up: Brazil will face Croatia on Friday in the quarterfinals. Earlier today, Croatia defeated Japan on penalty kicks in their Round of 16 match.