Brazil was the tournament favorite for the Qatar World Cup. A supremely talented Brazil squad, led by the iconic Neymar Jr, was sent home against a vastly experienced Croatia team.
CROATIA KNOCK OUT BRAZIL ON PENALTIES 👋 pic.twitter.com/zwGmuols9k
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 9, 2022
Worldwide soccer fans were widely anticipating a mouthwatering Brazil vs Argentina semi-final. The unreal depth in attacking options for Brazil was unmatched in the entire tournament. Talented players like Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, and Bruno Guimares were not even getting minutes on the pitch.
Croatia matched stride to stride with Brazil from the first minute of the game. The Croatian low-block defense didn’t let Brazil attack in the first half. Eventually, Brazil grew in the game with some important substitutions.
Neymar and co. kept pushing for a goal but Dominic Livakovic stood like a wall. He made 11 incredible saves to keep the score even. The match went into extra time and in the 105th minute of the match, Neymar scored a beautiful goal. Minutes later Marquinhos fell asleep in the Brazil defense and allowed Bruno Petkovic to score, taking the game to penalties. Marquinhos missed his decisive penalty and Brazil crashed out of the World Cup.
Neymar Jr talks about Brazil’s exit from FIFA World Cup 2022
Brazil and PSG starman already hinted about his retirement from international football following this tournament. Neymar, following this shocking defeat, leaked some chats with his teammates. “I decided to expose the messages to see how much we wanted to win and how united we were,” Neymar shared on his Instagram stories.
He also shared a screenshot of his clubmate and national teammate Marquinhos, who missed the crucial penalty in the shootout. “A penalty will not change what I think of you,” Neymar had written to him to which the defender replied, “I really wanted everything to go well. But we have to be strong, give it time, and see what football has in store for us.”
Neymar also shared his conversations with Rodrygo Goes and Thiago Silva. Rodrygo also missed his penalty in the shootout and apologized for his miss to Neymar. Neymar lifted his spirit up by saying what a good footballer he is. Thiago Silva emotionally wrote to Neymar, “Brother, it’s more f***** up than I imagined, really. I can’t stand it. I can’t believe we lost. I can’t believe it. Every time I remember it makes me want to cry.”
There was a lot of speculation on Neymar’s future as an international player. This heartbreaking loss may just add more fuel to his decision to retire from the national team. It can also motivate him to look for redemption in the next World Cup.