Neymar equals Messi and Ronaldo’s massive World Cup record with penalty goal for Brazil

Neymar Jr. opened his tally of goals for Brazil in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Tuesday night by converting a penalty goal in the 13th minute of the Brazil vs South Korea, Round of 16 match. Coming off an injury lay-off that forced him out of Brazil’s group-stage campaign, Neymar was off to a flying start against the Asian side. He registered his 76th overall goal for the national team, which is one shy of the legendary footballer Pele’s tally.

In the process, Neymar also joined football greats, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a unique FIFA World Cup record book. Neymar has become the fifth footballer to score in each of the last three FIFA World Cups. Interestingly, Neymar has successfully converted his last 13 penalty kicks for the star-studded team, while his last six goals for the national side have come via penalties.

‘I was very scared,’ says Neymar Jr. on his comeback from injury

Following his effort to register his 76th international goal, the 30-year-old revealed his thoughts on his performance after coming back from the injury. “I was very scared. It was very difficult after getting injured like I did. I was crying the entire night. My family knows what I had to go through. But in the end it all worked out. It was worth the effort to keep undergoing physiotherapy.”

Neymar featured in Brazil’s starting lineup in their tournament opener against Serbia but damaged the ligaments in his right ankle. While the footballing world imagined if Neymar could ever play again at the marquee tournament, he displayed immense strength and determination to lead Brazil to an easy win over the team that defeated Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in their last game.

As it happened: Brazil clinch a 4-1 victory over South Korea in FIFA WC Last 16

Earlier in the game, Real Madrid star Vini Jr. opened the tally of goals for Brazil by scoring seven minutes into the game at Stadium 976. While Neymar converted the penalty in the 13th minute, Richarlison registered his third goal of the current edition by scoring in the 29th minute. Brazil did enough to win the game in the first half itself as they led the game by 4-0 at half-time. 

Paik Seung-ho scored the only goal for South Korea in the 76th minute of the game. Meanwhile, another wholesome moment in the match was Brazil boss Tite joining Richarlison and other Brazil players to do the traditional ‘pigeon’ dance. Brazil will now clash against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.