Brazil were considered a genuine contender for the FIFA World Cup 2022 title with the likes of Neymar, Alisson and Vinicius Jr all in great form. However, the five-time holders were given a harsh reality check by Croatia, who eliminated the Brazilians after beating them 4-2 on penalties in the Quarterfinal clash on Saturday.
After the end of the match, Brazilian players were left in tears, especially Neymar, since the talismanic forward had thought that his goal had all but sealed Brazil’s place in the semifinals only for Bruno Petkovic’s equalizer late into added time ensured that the two sides went to penalties.
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Million heart brokes neymar crying 💔💔 #FIFAWorldCup #Neymar pic.twitter.com/ENHlraFJJG
— Henry 🇧🇩 (@shoaibA21211051) December 9, 2022
Neymar’s compatriot and former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves was later seen consoling the Paris Saint-Germain striker, who shed quite a few tears before he himself lent a shoulder to young Rodrygo, who was livid after missing his penalty.
‘I am not going to get to lift this trophy’- Thiago Silva
Brazil’s veteran center-back Thiago Silva, who was playing the final FIFA World Cup of his career, admitted that he would have to pull the curtains on his career without lifting the trophy.
“It is difficult, I have been through some disappointments in my life and when we lose something important that we have as an objective it hurts quite a lot. But we have to try to lift our heads and carry on. There is no other alternative.” said Silva.
“I think all of a sudden we lost our concentration, We are not used to being hit on the break like that. We became a little disorganized and that is where the goal came from.”
“Sadly as a player, I am not going to get to lift this trophy,” he said. “Who knows if in future I will get the chance in another role,” he added.
Croatia will now face Argentina in the semi-final. Both Luka Modric and Lionel Messi have squared off against each other multiple times in their careers when Messi was at Barcelona. This latest meeting could be the final dance that they have together on the big stage.
