“We’ll laugh in the finale”

Brazil made themselves the top favorites in the round of 16 against South Korea at the latest: Neymar and Co smashed the Asians 4-1 with impressive brilliance and were able to save themselves after the break for the quarter-finals against Croatia on Friday. “We’ll laugh in the finale”captain Neymar said confidently.

“We’re super attuned”Vinicius Junior declared Brazil’s greatest trump card. “You grow into a tournament like this and every game gets a little bit better.” The former German world champion and team boss Jürgen Klinsmann also saw the round of 16 victory as a statement. “They sent a message to the big ones. It’s wonderful to watch them”enthused Klinsmann and emphasized Neymar’s contribution to the team. “Having your Superstar helping out on defense is very important news to everyone. Technically, Brazil have always been strong, but when you see them working hard against the ball, you know it’s going to be incredibly difficult for anyone to beat them.”

The fact that they performed dances after each hit was not well received by everyone. “I’ve never seen so much dancing. I do not like that. It is said that this is their culture. But I think that’s really disrespectful to the opponent”, said former Irish star and Champions League winner Roy Keane. The Brazilians’ response was not long in coming. “The problem is with the one who doesn’t like it. We’ll keep dancing”, announced winger Raphinha. Paqueta also defended the form of the celebration. “It’s our expression of joy when we score a goal. We’re not doing this to be disrespectful. We’ll keep scoring goals and dancing afterwards.”

Richarlison even encouraged team boss Tite to dance, which the 61-year-old also justified. “They are very young and I am trying to adapt to their language. And part of their language is dancing. That’s not disrespect to the opponent.” Many players dedicated the victory to Pele, who is suffering from cancer, and the team posed with a banner showing the 82-year-old’s likeness.

Inspired by Pele

Brazil’s football legend will have been impressed by the show. Pele wrote on social media before the round of 16 that he once made a promise to his father. He also posted a photo showing him during the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. There he won his first of three world titles at the age of 17. “I want to inspire you, my friends”he made an appeal to his successors. “That touches me a lot. I wish him all the best”, said Neymar after the final whistle. Before that, he had scored his 76th goal for the Selecao – just one more thing to draw level with Pele.

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