KEY POINTS

  • Brazil defeated South Korea 4-1 in Round of 16
  • Neymar marked his comeback by scoring a penalty
  • Brazil's quarter-final game is against Croatia

Brazil's star players, along with their head coach Tite, broke into a choreographed dance celebration during their Round of 16 game against South Korea on Monday.

Goals from Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta put Brazil 4-0 up in the first half. Brazil eventually sealed the game 4-1, with Paik Seung-Ho scoring the lone goal for the Asian side.

Real Madrid's Vinicius opened the scoring just seven minutes after the kick-off before Neymar, who was returning from an injury, doubled Brazil's lead by scoring from the spot. Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison made it 3-0 before West Ham midfielder Paqueta netted the fourth goal of the game.

With three goals, Richarlison is the second joint scorer in the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, with France's Kylian Mbappe at the top with five goals. Neymar's performance was also a massive boost as the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker missed Brazil's last two group games because of an ankle injury. Along with the goal, Neymar also assisted Vinicius' goal.

In addition, the PSG forward, who has 76 goals for Brazil, is now one behind legendary Pele's all-time record.

Despite their shocking 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the group stage, Brazil remain one of the top contenders to win the World Cup and their performance against South Korea has justified the same.

Following the flurry of goals, Brazil celebrated with a variety of flashy choreographed dance moves on the touchline to punctuate each goal. Even head coach Tite jumped in and joined the fun.

While there were questions asked about the "Pigeon dance," Brazil boss Tite said he was only looking to strengthen bonds within his group.

"I try to adapt to my players. They are very young and have a love of dancing, joking, and making moves. They said I had to learn how to do the moves. They're very tight and difficult, but we kept playing around. Richarlison was there and I said, 'What's that dance?' I said, 'If you do it, then I'll do it.' There are various people who will say it was disrespectful. I know there's always a camera and I didn't want it to be misinterpreted," Tite told reporters after Brazil's emphatic victory.

Neymar (2nd L) could return for Brazil against South Korea on Monday
AFP

Brazil's upcoming game is the quarter-final clash with Croatia on Friday.