World Cup Now: Who was Brazil’s man of the match vs. South Korea?

Brazil overpowered South Korea 4-1 on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Brazilians dominated from the opening whistle, starting with Vinícius Júnior‘s goal in the seventh minute. Then, Richarlison was fouled in the box, leading to a Neymar penalty kick. Richarlison scored a goal of his own in the 29th minute, followed by Lucas Paquetá in the 36th minute, as Brazil took a 4-0 first-half lead. 

South Korea avoided a shutout after scoring on a laser beam goal from outside the box in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback. With the blowout win, Brazil advances to the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive World Cup. Neymar & Co. will take on Croatia in the next round Friday (7 a.m. ET, FOX).

On the latest “World Cup Now,” former USMNT players Jimmy Conrad, DaMarcus Beasley and Sacha Kljestan were joined by Warren Barton and Melissa Ortiz to break down Brazil’s impressive win and share their man-of-the-match choices.

Brazil vs. South Korea Highlights | 2022 FIFA World Cup

Kljestan: My man of the day is Brazil coach Tite, and there are a few reasons why. He trusted Neymar to go from the start, and that was big. I think getting Neymar out there, it just makes the whole rest of the team feel comfortable, and they went after it. The second thing is the fact that he gets in on a team dance with his players. Do you know how much that means to the squad? How many times have we had coaches that are stiff and boring and so serious all the time? He’s dancing with the guys. This means so much. This is how you bring a group together. 

Not only that, but the third thing he did was sub on the third goalkeeper Weverton in the 80th minute to give all 26 players playing time in the World Cup. How many guys come to a World Cup and never get a minute, and they just lose out on the special moment? The fact that he did that and what that means to all of Brazil — he’s my man of the day.

Barton: I’m going with Neymar. It was good to see him back. I know it wasn’t a vintage performance, but just to have him on the field — being out there.

Ortiz: This is a tough one, but I’m sticking with Vinícius Júnior and his first World Cup goal in his career.

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