Last night against Venezuela, Neymar, in search of his first major title in the selection, still managed the combined goal plus assist, by transforming a penalty obtained by Danilo (64th), then by sending an offering to Gabigol, who did not ‘had only to push the ball from the chest into the empty cage (89th).
The Parisian striker had already managed this type of double in the previous two games, 2-0 against Ecuador and Paraguay in early June in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Neymar is now 67 goals in 106 selections, ten lengths only Pelé’s national goalscoring record.
Before him, his PSG teammate, defender Marquinhos, opened the scoring (23rd) for the title holder and host of the tournament.
Venezuela was handicapped by the absence of eight players who tested positive for the coronavirus, in addition to a few injuries. The coach, José Peseiro, suddenly called on fifteen new players to compete in the competition, most of them new to the national team and playing in the Venezuelan league.
“We all thought it was going to be worse”
The Vinotinto, therefore cruelly lacking in experience, nevertheless defended well as a whole, in a “very closed” way according to Marquinhos, but ended up breaking down. La Seleçao, rather dull, camped in the opposing camp and monopolized possession, but lacked sharpness.
However, Neymar offered some flashes, like these two tumbled down all in speed and dribbles completed by a strike from just off target (30th, 83rd), and sent a few well-felt passes and crosses, but his teammates were not in a big way. day.
“When we manage to place him in a more advanced area of the field, (Neymar) is more protected, because there the opponent is afraid of making a firmer marking, a fault in an important area, explained coach Tite. We structure the team so that it receives fewer balls, but in a more efficient way to create chances.
His counterpart Jose Peseiro said he was “proud” of his players. “3-0 is 3-0. Brazil was better. But we all thought it was going to be worse ”. In this group B, Brazil will face Peru on Thursday, while Venezuela will meet Colombia.
