Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli showed off his samba skills while in action for Brazil on Tuesday night, as he came within inches of a first international goal.
Coming off the bench to replace Philippe Coutinho 56 minutes into the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, the striker was making only his second appearance for his country.
Already, Brazil were three goals to the good when Dani Alves launched a crossfield pass to pick the youngster out.
Martinelli controlled off his hip and beat one defender with a dart down the line, before fooling another with a delicious Marseille turn, the sort made famous by Zinedine Zidane.
OUTRAGEOUS skill from Gabriel Martinelli! 😱
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) March 30, 2022
Just a couple of inches wide to deny him a first Brazil goal 😬 pic.twitter.com/BQLAePPrsI
That set him up for a chance to net his first Brazil goal and, once again, he went for the audacious with a chip past Ruben Cordano in the Bolivia goal. However, it narrowly missed the far-post.
In the grand scheme of things, it mattered little for Tite’s side as they romped to a 4-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Lucas Paqueta, Bruno Guimaraes, and a Richarlison brace.
Brazil had already qualified top of the South American group for the 2022 World Cup and will be in Pot 1 for Friday’s draw.