Even with a returning Neymar, Brazil faces a tough test against South Korean wing crashers
Neymar kicks the ball between three Serbian players during the World Cup match between Brazil and Serbia. (AP photo)
Prior to this World Cup, South Korea was labeled as the ‘Son Heung-min team’. Their chances this year, as a side not quite close to the 2002 team that reached the semi-finals as co-hosts, depended largely on their talisman, who suffered an eye socket injury and had to endure a race against time to to be fit for the first game.
Son played despite being in recovery mode and not at his best, but his side played solid football, well structured in defense with lots of play patterns to create attacks. They were arguably the best team of their group, which consisted of Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana, but still needed a last-minute winner and results elsewhere to secure their place in the knockout stages.
The reward for that determination and determination: meeting the tournament favorite Brazil. And as if the tie needed to be tipped even further in favor of the Seleção, head coach Tite has confirmed star player Neymar Jr. will return for the game after recovering from an ankle injury. (READ MORE)