Brazil 2-0 Mexico: World Cup favourites book quarter-final place
Brazil are now 3/1 to win the World Cup after beating Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16 in Samara.
Second-half goals gave the tournament favourites the victory over Juan Carlos Osorio's side, with Neymar opening the scoring with a close-range finish before setting Roberto Firmino up for the Selecao's second late on.
Online bookmaker Sky Bet have boosted Brazil's price to 3/1 following their victory, with fellow quarter-finalists France second favourites at 4/1, Belgium, England and Croatia 6/1 and Uruguay 14/1.
The world's most expensive player opened the scoring six minutes into the second half after excellent approach play by Willian, the Paris Saint-Germain forward's sixth goal in World Cup history.
Substitute Firmino wrapped up the win with a simple last-minute finish as Tite's side advanced to their seventh straight World Cup quarter-final, where they will face either Japan or Belgium in Kazan on Friday night.
GOAL VIDEOS
Brazil 1-0 Mexico: Neymar - 51'
GOAL! A one-two made in Brazil. Neymar backheels to Willian who drives into the box before laying it on a plate for Neymar at the back post from close range pic.twitter.com/joILjQClU3
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 2, 2018
Brazil 2-0 Mexico: Roberto Firmino - 88'
GOAL! Neymar is played in by Fernandinho, he puts on the afterburners and prods across goal for Firmino to tap into an empty net pic.twitter.com/Ahz6pLMAq5
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 2, 2018
Opta match statistics
- Brazil have won eight of their nine World cup matches against CONCACAF nations (D1), conceding in just one of those matches (5-2 vs Costa Rica in 2002).
- Since the introduction of the round of 16 in 1986, Mexico have been eliminated at this stage of the World Cup seven times – more than twice as many as any other nation.
- Brazil have now scored more World Cup goals than any other side in the history of the competition (228, two more than Germany).
- Roberto Firmino scored just two minutes and four seconds after coming on as a substitute for Brazil, the second fastest sub goal so far at the 2018 World Cup.
- Brazil’s Neymar scored his sixth World Cup goal with his 38th shot. It took Cristiano Ronaldo 74 shots and Lionel Messi 67 to reach six goals in the competition.
- Neymar has been involved in 20 goals in his last 19 games in all competitions for Brazil, scoring 11 and assisting nine.
Odds correct at 1650 BST on 02/07/18
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