BACK WITH A BANG!
Neymar wows with wonder goal
THE routine was just as you will have remembered: head bowed, hands pointing to heaven before blessing himself then breaking into a sprint.
It had been 98 days since Neymar had last gone through that pre-match ritual but here he was on the side of the pitch, bedecked in that famous No10 shirt of Brazil, primed for action. The fear of the World Cup taking place without one of its biggest attractions was over.
During the 14 weeks since he broke his metatarsal in action for Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar has barely been off Instagram. His 93.3million followers have been afforded plenty of insights into his glitzy lifestyle but little idea of how his rehabilitation has progressed.
So there was one question chipping away: was he truly ready? In the 69th minute, having eased himself into the fray, the £197m man provided the answer in the most spectacular fashion.
After receiving a pass from Philippe Coutinho, Neymar began to dance. He scuttled into the penalty area, teasing the posse of Croatia defenders that tried to surround him: seven hypnotic touches and a shift of the hips later, three red-and-white shirts had been eliminated.
What happened next was majestic, Neymar thrashing a right-footed shot in off the underside of the crossbar, somehow getting the accuracy and elevation to beat goalkeeper Danijel Subasic from the corner of the six-yard box. Was he ready? It was like he had never been away.
‘For the first match back I actually expected less from him,’ beamed Brazil head coach Tite. ‘I would have been happy with a quieter performance but what he did was really extraordinary.’
This epitomised all that is good about Brazil, the skill and the effortless samba style, in one devastating moment.
Yet, ironically, it did not even illicit the biggest cheer of the day — that was reserved for local hero Roberto Firmino’s injury-time strike to complete a 2-0 win.
But the significance of Neymar’s goal — his 54th for Brazil — could not be lost. It was spectacular but also soothing, reassuring a nation that the man in whom so many dreams are entrusted will be close to his peak for the opening World Cup assignment against Switzerland in Rostov.
If he reaches his peak, he could make this his tournament. He has history with the World Cup, having been stretchered off in the quarterfinal success over Colombia four years ago, but now he seems primed to banish those memories.
‘Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been up there on their own for so many years. I think it may be time for other players to aspire to be the best in the world — and the best at this World Cup, too,’ said Coutinho, who had to contend with some minor jeering on his first return to Anfield since his £146m move to Barcelona in January. ‘For me, (Mohamed) Salah and Neymar have serious chances to do that.
To describe Brazil as a one-man team would be nonsense but what the PSG star does is elevate them to another level entirely.
Before he had been introduced, they had looked tentative and struggled to breakdown Croatia’s defence, but Neymar transformed everything.
The first half, in terms of action, had been instantly forgettable. Brazil — the admirable Willian apart — operated at a speed that was only just above training ground level and Croatia had the best opportunity of the opening period when Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren crashed a header wide. Once Neymar had been introduced, though, Brazil went through the gears and Croatia could not get out of their half;
Neymar provided the crowning moment before Firmino raced onto a ball from Manchester City full-back Danilo to lob Subasic with aplomb.