FIFA World Cup 2022: Brazil 4, South Korea 1

Brazil danced their way into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a dazzling display against South Korea, scoring four goals in the opening 37 minutes of the game in a rampant victory.

The Brazilians will now take on Croatia in the first quarter-final on Friday, Dec. 9, with a win setting up a semi-final against either Argentina or the Netherlands.

Expected goals (xG): Brazil 2.97, South Korea 0.38

Man of the Match: Neymar, Brazil

The reality here is that you could pick any of a handful of Brazilian players and not be wrong, including all four players they had in attack.

Neymar’s return to the lineup provided a spark for the Brazilians, and he found himself on the scoresheet again with a penalty in the 13th minute. It wasn’t just his goal-scoring that was impressive, though, as he completed five of the eight dribbles he attempted and drew three fouls, both at worst tied for the most among Brazilian players in the game.

The PSG striker completed five of the eight line-breaking passes he attempted, produced an assist and a key pass and was on the receiving end of eight line-breaking passes.

Best Passer: Casemiro, Brazil

You can make the case that Casemiro has been the best passer of the ball at this tournament so far, and his ability to move the ball forward was once again on display in the win here. He completed 59 of the 71 passes he attempted in the game, going 10-for-14 on attempted line-breaking passes. Those 10 completed line-breaking passes we three more than the next-best mark in the game.

Best Challenger: Eder Militao, Brazil

Militao had a very well-rounded performance as a defender for Brazil in the game, winning six of the eight challenges he was involved in. He won one of the two aerial duels and both 50/50 duels while successfully making the tackle on three of his four attempts. To top it all off, he also successfully defended two of the three dribbles he faced.

Rafinha's dazzling display

There was a reasonable amount of social media outcry about Rafinha’s inclusion in the starting lineup ahead of Antony, perhaps particularly from one fanbase. However, the Al-Arabi midfielder more than justified his place in the team with a wonderful all-around performance. He completed five of the seven dribbles he attempted and won a foul that drew a yellow card. He completed 83.3% of the passes he attempted and had two line-breaking pass completions, including one that broke the defensive line. He also provided a second assist and led Brazil with three key passes in the game.