Richarlison pounced twice for Brazil overnight as he continued to show signs of a return to form.
The Everton star’s brace followed his strike against Chile, providing a welcome glimpse of what he has to offer. Frank Lampard will be hoping his confidence-boosting international break can provide a platform from which he can play a pivotal role in the coming weeks.
Richarlison played the full 90 minutes as Brazil travelled to La Paz to compete in the notoriously challenging high-altitude conditions. He showed his poacher’s instincts as he finished from close range in the closing stages of each half to round off a 4-0 win.
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The brace followed his exploits in the 4-0 victory over Chile last week. In that game the 24-year-old came off the bench to curl in after beating a defender on the edge of the box. The back-to-back wins secured a record-breaking points tally in the South American World Cup qualifying campaign for Brazil, who still have to face Argentina in a game rearranged due to Covid.
Everton’s struggles in front of goal this season have been well documented, with Alex Iwobi’s last-gasp winner against Newcastle ending a run of more than seven hours without a goal in the Premier League. Richarlison has scored just five times in the league - his last coming in the 2-1 defeat to Norwich in January.
His most recent strike for the Blues came in the FA Cup fourth round win over Brentford but, after a successful international break, hopes will be high that his performances with Brazil could provide a confidence boost that would be crucial to Everton’s survival hopes.
