Neymar Jr. proved to be Brazil’s talisman once again in their FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal match against Croatia. He netted in a goal at the last moment of the first half of extra time. This goal makes him equal with Pele as Brazil’s all-time top scorer.
Watch the goal here:
Neymark fired past Dominik Livakovic in the quarterfinal to score his eighth goal in FIFA World Cups to equal Christiano Ronaldo’s tally. He found the net in the injury time of extra-time first half to put his squad in the lead against Croatia. This was Neymar’s second goal in the ongoing edition of the tournament, he scored his first goal against Switzerland in the Round of 16.
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The game at the Education City Stadium was locked with 0-0 in the 90-minute given time and an extra time of 30 minutes was given. Neymar is the sixth active top scorer in international football.
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The record is recognized by the World governing body FIFA, but the Brazilian Football Confederation says that Pele has scored 95 goals. FIFA only counts games between two nations and some of Pele’s goals came in friendly matches against club sides. Neymar has played 124 Brazil matches, equalling Pele’s tally from 92 appearances. Neymar’s tally is not an overall Brazilian record, with Marta having scored 115 for the women’s team since 2002.
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However, Croatia defeated Brazil on penalties to qualify for the semi-finals. After Neymar’s goal Bruno Petkovic slotted the in the equalizer with three minutes remaining from the whistle. In the penalty shootout, Rodrygo missed the first penalty for Brazil while Marquihos missed the decisive win, while Croatia slammed all penalties home to win 4-2.