Neymar did something Messi and Ronaldo both failed to do - he led his team to the World Cup quarterfinals with a dominating performance
- Brazil defeated Mexico on Monday to earn a spot in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals.
- The heroics from Brazil came in large part from Neymar, who had both a goal and an assist in the match.
- Neymar has his team moving farther than Argentina and Portugal, and he accomplished a feat that has eluded both Messi and Ronaldo thus far in their international careers - scoring in the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Brazil continued its run for redemption through the 2018 World Cup on Monday with a 2-0 win over Mexico to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Led by a heroic effort from offensive centerpiece Neymar, Brazil recovered from a somewhat slippery start to the match with two second-half goals to send Mexico home on its first game of the knockout stage for the seventh straight tournament.
The action started when Neymar accomplished something Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still looking to cross off of their bucket lists - scoring a goal in the knockout stage.
In the 51st minute, Neymar pushed the ball up the left side of the field, before making a sharp turn towards the center just before getting to the box. As he continues to draw his defenders' attention, Neymar drops the ball off with a backheel to Willian. Willian darts towards the goal and centers the ball low, finding Neymar just completing his break to send home the first goal of the game.
Neymar's brilliance didn't stop there.
With Brazil looking to hold on to a 1-0 lead through the final whistle, Neymar would instead help his team to an insurance goal in the final minutes of the match.
After Mexico lost an errant pass in the midfield in the 89th minute, Neymar collected the ball and began running Brazil up the field with a numbers advantage. After a few touches, he centered the ball to beat the goalie and set Firmino up with a wide-open net.
Despite a great effort from Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa that was reminiscent of his otherworldly performance against Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, El Tri didn't have the players to compete with Brazil on that day.
Neymar certainly didn't do it alone - and his supporting cast is far more helpful than that of Messi or Ronaldo - but that said, his performance today made clear that with some of the most marketable stars in soccer already busting out of the tournament, Neymar is indeed a player to watch as the tournament goes on.
More World Cup coverage:
- Cristiano Ronaldo: How the biggest sports star on the planet makes and spends his millions
- World Cup Power Ranking: Where every team stands heading into the knockout round
- The World Cup knockout bracket is set, and there is a 'side of death'
- The most mesmerizing photos from the World Cup so far