Brazil qualified for the semifinals of the Confederations with a 2-0 victory over Mexico.
Heading into the tournament, a number of pundits credited whether young Neymar could be the superstar that would lead his nation deep in the tournament. For the second straight match, Neymar proved his doubters wrong.
In the opening game, the 21-year scored a terrific goal off a volley to give Brazil a 1-0 lead. In the match against Mexico, Neymar completed the feat in almost identical manner in the ninth minute of play.
"I'm happy to have played well again," Neymar said. "But what was more important was that the team had a good performance. We are improving game after game and we are getting better. This gives us more confidence for the next matches."
Neymar's brilliance did not end with the opening goal. The burgeoning superstar made an incredible move in stoppage time to split two Mexican defenders at the left edge of the box. He walked into the slot and passed the ball across the goal to Jo; the latter player kicked the ball into the net to give Brazil a comfortable 2-0 victory.
"Neymar has the skills and he created problems for the players from Mexico the entire match," said Brazil Coach Luis Felipe Scolari said. "He did what we needed him to do to help us break through the Mexican defense."
Brazil faces Italy in its final match of the group stage. That game will decide which side wins the group and takes on the second place team in Group B. Brazil currently leads the group with a +5 goal differential; Italy has a +2 goal difference.
The match continued to showcase Mexico's offensive struggles. El Tri failed to generate chances throughout the match and failed to dictate the pace of the match.
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