Neymar has dedicated his goal in Brazil's hammering of South Korea to injured Manchester United player Alex Telles.
Brazil are sailing into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with an emphatic and joyous display in the last 16 against South Korea, with the returning Neymar making a massive impact. The forward picked up a nasty knock to the ankle in his country's opening match and missed the rest of the group stage as he recovered.
He hasn't been the only Brazilian to suffer an injury but he has at least been fortunate that it hasn't ended his tournament. Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus and United left-back Telles have not been so lucky. Telles, who is spending the season on loan at Sevilla, was struck with a knee injury during the final group match against Cameroon that has ruled him out for the remainder of the competition.
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The defender has remained in Qatar, however, and was in the stands on Monday night to watch his teammates turn on the style to smash South Korea. Neymar grabbed the second goal of the match with a nonchalant penalty in the first 10 minutes and after scoring made a beeline for Telles, who was sat behind the dugout, and gave him a big hug.
An emotional Telles confirmed that he would miss the rest of the World Cup in an Instagram post: "Paths are not straight, they have bends, not every moment in life is joyful, but the bright side of it (and we absolutely always have the counterpoint to sadness) is that after the cry, it's time to smile. I always had a childhood dream, which was to defend my country in a World Cup. And that dream, you can be sure, did not end here.
"My dream remains inside every teammate who will enter the field in the matches until the end of the World Cup. My dream follows inside every fan who screams for our country in the stands. Because this dream was never just mine, it has always been a dream of all those who love Brazil and live intensely football.
"I follow by heart and fan from now on. In fact, I still feel as I've always felt: a Brazilian who never gave up dreaming. I made a drawing as a kid that showed everything I wanted and actually ever wanted in my life.
"Before the match against Cameroon, I looked at that drawing and asked God to let his will be done. And this is how I’m dealing with every minute since I left the field. Nothing comes without a purpose in our lives. And with the same will of that child who drew his dreams, I will follow my path. Thanks everyone for the love. I will come back even stronger!!!!! THE DREAM CONTINUES."
Brazil set the tone in the opening minutes of the contest as Vinicius Junior calmly curled a superb effort into the goal. Neymar then doubled the scoring a couple of minutes later. West Ham's Lucas Paqueta grabbed the third with a powerful shot before Richarlison started and finished a ridiculous passing move to score what may well be voted the goal of the tournament.
South Korea added a consolation late in the second half as Paik Seung-ho blasted in a shot from 25 yards.
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