Goals: Cameroon—Matip 26’; Brazil—Neymar 17’, 35’ Fred 49’ Fernandinho 84’
Recap: Brazil had zero difficulties in Brasilia on Monday, undressing Cameroon en route to a 4-1 victory.
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An opening strike from Neymar gave the host nation a 1-0 lead, but Cameroon’s Joel Matip would equalize just nine minutes later. Brazil, however, proved to be too much on the night. A brace from Neymar was followed by second-half goals from Fred and Fernandinho.
With the victory, Brazil qualified for the Round of 16 as the Group A winner.
Key Moment: The deficit was only one at the break, but poor officiating gifted Brazil another goal after halftime. Fred, clearly in an offside position, headed home a cross from Marcelo. The officials however, looked the other way. Cameroon had zero chance of a comeback from there.
Man of the Match: That’s four goals in three matches for Neymar, proving this team will only go as far as he can carry it.
Lesson Learned: Neymar is comfortable in his native land. The young starlet followed a hype-worthy career at Santos with a breakout performance at the 2013 Confederations Cup. The time to leave Brazil came one moth later, seeing him trigger a move to FC Barcelona. The same player, however, didn’t transfer overseas. A rollercoaster season in Spain caused many to doubt Neymar's ability to carry Brazil in the World Cup. The criticism is dissipating with every match.
Up Next: Cameroon returns home to prepare for the next World Cup cycle, while Brazil travels to Belo Horizonte to face Chile on June 28.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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