Brazeal to the fore

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Neymar started to live up to the huge expectations of a demanding public only three minutes into the Confederations Cup on Saturday, scoring an early goal to help Brazil beat Japan 3-0 in the opening match of the tournament.
The Brazil striker scored with a firm shot from outside the penalty area, connecting with the ball after Fred controlled a long cross from Marcelo with his chest. The ball bounced only once before Neymar whacked it in.
“It was a very quick moment where Fred was able to control the ball and I was very lucky to get a fantastic kick and score a goal,” said Neymar, who went off in the 74th minute with what appears to be a minor injury.
“Everything’s OK,” Neymar said. “Not to worry.”
For the two minutes following the goal, most of the 67,432 fans at the National Stadium chanted Neymar’s name, revelling in the knowledge that their poster boy is already starting to deliver for the national team with one year to go before the World Cup.
Paulinho added the second goal for Brazil in the 48th, deftly controlling a cross from Dani Alves before turning inside and shooting. Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima got his hands to the ball, but it was too powerful for him to stop. Jo got the third, latching onto a through ball from Oscar and sliding it past Kawashima in injury time.
The win puts Brazil at the top of Group A with three points. “The reason we were not able to do what we normally do on the pitch is because we went one goal down in the third minute of the first half,” Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said. “This probably shocked us.”
Neymar started the match facing a minor wave of criticism. He has become something of an idol in Brazil, but a nine-match scoreless streak had heaped pressure on the 21-year-old striker heading into the Confederations Cup.
The fickle Brazilian fans, who had taken to booing their team in recent weeks, were firmly behind the Selecao and their star this time, however.
With his hair long on top and short on the sides, Neymar has already started to transcend the game in Brazil, like David Beckham nearly everywhere else. His picture is plastered around the country in underwear and phone ads, to name a few.
That’s just off the field. On it, Neymar has earned himself a massive transfer from local club Santos to Barcelona, where he will be teammates with Lionel Messi next season.
The match against Japan was likely something Neymar was looking forward to.
However, not everything was perfect for Neymar on Saturday, however.
Midway through the second half, he was briefly knocked down. And then, about six minutes later, Neymar was taken off and replaced by Lucas.