For some teams, advancing out of the group stage at the World Cup involves complex scenarios and FIFA tiebreakers. For one team, advancing is quite simple and involves Neymar.
With Brazil looking to lock up its spot in the Round of 16, Neymar scored a pair of first-half goals in a 4-1 win over Cameroon at Nacional on Monday. The win sent Brazil into the next round of the 2014 World Cup as the top team in Group A.
To the delight of the crowd in Brasilia, the 22-year-old opened the scoring in the host's final Group A match in the 17th minute when he sent a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Charles Itandje after Luis Gustavo delivered a cross that found him just steps from the penalty spot.
Cameroon, already eliminated from contention before kickoff, equalized in the 26th minute but Neymar quickly reinstated the Brazil lead. Slicing through the Cameroon defense, Neymar scored his second goal of the match with another right-footed shot that Itandje couldn't track in the 34th minute.
(GIF via @PeteBlackburn)
Brazil would add a third goal shortly after halftime when Fred, possibly offside, got his head to a cross from David Luiz. In the 84th minute, Fernandinho tallied the final score of the game to ensure that Brazil topped Group A. Both Brazil and Mexico finished the group stage with seven points after wins on Monday. The hosts advanced as the group winner thanks to a superior goal differential.
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