The questions came thick and fast: Why didn’t you score a goal? What happened? Why couldn’t you beat Belgium? Gabriel Jesus almost teared up, Alisson offered a blank response and Miranda, in his soft voice, tried to explain. Well past midnight, they all tried to explain, but Brazil were left shocked and stunned by Belgium’s tactical ingenuity and artful counter-attacking, spearheaded by the potent trident of the combative Romelu Lukaku, the guileful Eden Hazard and metronome Kevin De Bruyne.
Neymar, Brazil’s talisman, didn’t talk. He walked through the mixed zone, stony faced. This was supposed to have been his World Cup. At 26, Neymar is at the peak of his powers. Last summer he moved from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, and, whatever the financial considerations, the transfer was also in part designed to escape Messi’s shadow and expand his full talent. Neymar’s season, however, was always going to be defined, not by his exploits in Ligue 1 or in the Champions League for that matter, but by the World Cup. In fact, the 2018 World Cup may well have decided how Neymar will live on in the global conscience and how he will be remembered in the future.
He arrived in Russia with little match fitness following his metatarsal injury, a medical complication that gripped Brazil for weeks and months on end: would Neymar play at the World Cup? The No 10 began slowly, playing in the shadow of the excellent Philippe Coutinho, who drove much of Brazil’s attacking play from a central role in the first two games against the staunch Swiss and the ultra-defensive Costa Ricans. He exerted more influence against Serbia, but Neymar really excelled against Mexico in the Round of 16.
For the first time in the tournament, Neymar played for the team. His feints, his accelerations and his passes were functional. He tracked back and at times resembled a box-to-box player. There was little showboating and his Socratic back heel carved dislodged Mexico’s defence leading up to Brazil’s opening goal. Neymar was hitting his stride, his form rising as a crescendo. Tite thought as much, always reiterating that Neymar needed a few games to be at the top.