After the surprise defeat to Croatia, Neymar was criticized by the fans, because the Brazilian star did not take the penalty kick that resulted in Brazil having to stop.
Brazil is the No. 1 candidate to win the 2022 World Cup, with Neymar expected to finally be able to repair the heartbreaking defeat eight years ago at home.
Neymar could have helped the Selecao to go to the semi-finals by scoring a brilliant goal in the first extra time. This is his 77th goal, officially equaling Pele’s record for most goals for Brazil. With the opening goal in the last minute of the first extra time, it looked like Brazil would reach the semi-finals. However, Croatia is the king of injury time. Bruno Petkovic equalized the match with only 3 minutes left for their fate to be decided.
Having defeated Japan in the penalty shootout in the previous round, the European team once again showed their bravery from the penalty spot, winning 4-2.
With Brazil missing twice and Croatia succeeding on all four, Neymar didn’t even have a chance when he chose to shoot on the fifth.
That angered the fans. They wanted him to be the “hero” in the penalty shootout, which of course never happened.
“I don’t understand why the players with penalty kick experience are put behind the younger players,” a fan said on Twitter. “They can win glory, but it’s stupid and too arrogant to think that victory is easy. Let Neymar shoot first and score. But if Neymar asks to take the last shot, there is no sympathy. “.
“I never understood why the man who has the best penalty skill took the last one. Neymar should have taken the first one, it would have changed the whole team,” added another fan.
“Neymar, Cristiano, Salah chose the fifth kick because the last one will bring them glory. But in this case, Neymar was wrong.”
“Sorry, but Neymar not taking the first penalty is unforgivable. Waiting for the fifth penalty shows how big his ego is.”
Coach Tite eliminated most of the strikers from the starting line-up during the second half. As a result, he had few options for the penalty shoot-out.
Real Madrid’s young Rodrygo, too inexperienced and brave, missed the first shot, leaving Brazil far behind Croatia from the start.
Casemiro and Pedro both scored but Neymar’s PSG team-mate – Marquinhos, shot the ball wide of the post, bouncing the ball out, helping the Europeans celebrate.
The problem for Neymar, as with many players taking penalties, is that the order cannot be changed, he most likely wanted to take a second or third shot when Rodrygo failed.
Didier Drogba – became Chelsea’s hero when he chose to take the fifth-placed penalty in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 2012.
But with Neymar, now he only has regrets.
Coach Tite resigned. Neymar also wants to leave the Brazilian team.
30-year-old striker Neymar wants to make the best decision for both himself and the national team after Brazil’s surprise defeat to Croatia.
Despite having a great performance from the group stage until the 1/8 round, Brazil had to stop in the quarterfinals of the World Cup before a braver and luckier Croatia.
After 90 minutes, the two sides drew 0-0 and went to extra time. Neymar scored first but Croatia still equalized 1-1 later to send the game to a fateful penalty shootout.
Zlatko Dalić‘s side won again with a penalty shootout, where they had strengths and experience over their opponents. Croatia just beat Japan in the same way. Meanwhile, Brazil for the fourth time in the last five World Cups had to stop in the quarterfinals.
Most of the Brazilian stars could not hold back the tears, once again unable to win the championship. Of these, the most notable case is Neymar.
Speaking after the match, Neymar hinted at the possibility of retiring from the national team after the World Cup: “Honestly, I don’t know. I think it’s inappropriate to talk now. Maybe I’m not sure.”
“I am not 100% sure that I will return to the national team. I need to think a little more about this, I need to know what decision is right for me and for the national team.”
Many Vietnamese fans said that Brazil’s defeat was predictable, when a cat appeared in Brazil’s press conference before the match. Vietnamese people believe that a strange cat coming to their side is bad luck.
