World Cup lights up to show support for hospitalised Pele
FootballWorld Cup 2022: Vinicius Junior Opens Goal Scoring Account With Stunning Strike
- Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Brazil inside seven minutes for his first World Cup goal
- The 22-year-old's strike opened the floodgates as the Samba Boys cruised past South Korea
- The five-time world champions cross paths with Croatia in the tournament's quarter-finals
Vinicius Junior has finally broken his World Cup goal-scoring duck.
The Real Madrid winger, who has been a mainstay in coach Tite's starting line-up, found the back of the net against South Korea in Brazil's round-of-16 clash on Monday.
Having featured in the Selecao's opening two group games, the 22-year-old had struggled to get his name on the score sheet despite his numerous attempts.
However, he finally broke the ice against Group H runners-up South Korea.
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Vini Jr would hope his goal against the Asian powerhouse will open his personal floodgates, as Brazil's chase for a sixth World Cup continues unabated.
How did Vini score?
A lovely mazy run by Raphinha saw the Barcelona winger serve Vinicius an exquisite pass, who controlled the ball before arrowing a shot into the net despite the sea of Korean defenders.
Vinicius backed to handle pressure
Brazil will be without Neymar Jr for the final two group games of the World Cup against Switzerland and Cameroon, after the ankle injury he suffered against Serbia.
This will be a big hit to the Brazilians despite their star-studded attack, but one man has been tipped to be capable in ability and mentality to replace the PSG attacker.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr has been backed by former England goalkeeper Rob Green to have the ability, skills and more importantly, the ability to handle the pressure left by Neymar's absence.
World Cup 2022: Footage shows Neymar seriously angry with teammates after Brazil's unlikely loss to Cameroon
FootballBrazil cruise past Korea
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Neymar returned from injury to help inspire Brazil to a 4-1 victory over South Korea on Monday, as the favourites cruised through to the World Cup quarter-final stage.
The world's most expensive player sat out his team's last two matches with a sprained ankle suffered in their first game in Qatar - a 2-0 win over Serbia.
He came back for the last 16 tie as Tite's team clicked into gear, delivering an ominous message to their rivals before easing off in the second half.