It looked for a long time as if it was going to be Neymar’s day.
Ironic that, seeing as the 30-year-old had one of the worst games he’ll ever have in a Brazil shirt. His performance was one full of petulance – twice he kicked out at Croatian players – and wastefulness – you’d need the two hands out to count the amount of times he gave away possession
But, just as many of us were about to rip into him, he came up with a moment of pure excellence. Collecting possession on the centre circle, he played a one-two with Rodrygo, another with Paqueta and then he held his composure to round Dominik Livakovic, to score what will be one of the goals of this World Cup.
Neymar is a player of moments and this was his moment.
Goal of the World Cup?pic.twitter.com/P9krSmhxll
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 9, 2022
But the script was about to change.
Croatia were a completely different team after that goal and they got their just reward fifteen minutes later when the previously ineffective Bruno Petkovic took a shot. He was lucky that it deflected off Marquinhos and Brazil were unlucky that it wrong-footed Alisson, and went right into the corner.
Croatia had their goal, and they held on for a penalty shoot-out. When they got it this far, when Brazil let it get this far, you just knew the favourites were in trouble.
Croatia beat Japan on penalties in the last round and if you go back to the 2018 World Cup, they also won two shoot-outs there, beating Denmark and Russia in what some call ‘the lottery.’
But you won’t win the lottery every time.
Croatia are a team full of characters and in the aforementioned Dominik Livakovic, they have a keeper who thrives under pressure.
He saved from Rodrygo and from Vlasic to Majer to Modric to Orsic, Croatia never missed. The unlucky Marquinhos hit the post with the decisive spot-kick – you’d have to feel for him after that earlier deflection – and Brazil were out.
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) December 9, 2022
And inevitably, the story comes back to Neymar. It seems as if he wanted to take the fifth penalty, the crowning penalty as some would call it, but in the end, he didn’t get to take a penalty at all.
And it sparked some debate in the RTÉ studio.
Tony O’Donoghue: “Didn’t that happen with Ronaldo before? Isn’t it a reflection of a sort of narcacism?’
Sadlier: “No, someone has to say, ‘I’m going fifth’, it’s not always a failing of your personality or a desire to be the main man…
Brady: “I don’t agree, Richie. Neymar, he’s that kind of man.
Sadlier: “I don’t disagree with that! I don’t disagree at all. We’re absolutely on the same page when it comes to Neymar, but I don’t think you can necessarily criticise him for going, ‘I’ll take the penalty that could potentially be of most pressure’. What you can criticise him fairly strongly for is how abject his performance was throughout most of the match.
Brady: “Modric took the third penalty. I think that shows the difference in characters. I think Neymar was going to get the glory of scoring the winning penalty.
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