His balance and wherewithal to round the keeper and fire it home are what make this goal so great—and on top of that, it brought him level with Pelé for Brazil’s all-time men’s record (77).
Brazil’s early exit means Neymar’s goal will go down as the second-greatest forgotten moment from this tournament. Having been held silent for the better part of 105 minutes, he burst into action and showed the pace and technical quality that make him one of the world’s best forwards. His balance and wherewithal to round the keeper and fire it home are what make this goal so great—and on top of that, it brought him level with Pelé for Brazil’s all-time men’s record (77). But alas, it wasn’t meant to be his crowning moment, as Croatia equalized and won in penalties to spoil a legendary semifinal matchup with Argentina.