Coming back from what seemed liked an injury which could have ruled him out of the tournament, Neymar appeared once again in the Selecao’s lineup, making a huge impact in their knockout phase victory over South Korea Republic.
Goals by Vínicius Júnior, himself (Neymar), Richarlison and Lucas Paquetá helped Brazil into a four-goal lead within 36 minutes before a second-half thunderbolt by Paik Seung-ho proved a consolation for South Korea.
After suffering an ankle injury in the opening encounter against Serbia, the PSG forward stated he feared his World Cup was finished after being left out of the last two games, raising concerns about his availability to play again in the tournament.
The forward, who moved within a goal of Pele’s goalscoring record for the Brazil team, after scoring that cheeky penalty explained that he was worried about his chances of playing again in the tournament.
“I was thinking of a million different things,” said Neymar after the match.
“I was afraid of not being able to play in this World Cup again but I have the support of all of my colleagues, my family and I tried to look for strength where I could not find it. When I was reading all of the messages of encouragement, it helped my recovery.”
“I did not feel any pain in my ankle. I think my performance went very well and I’m very content, but that said, I think we can always improve and that’s what I will try to do.”
