31-year-old striker scores two second-half goals in a 5-1 win over Bolivia
\nMONTEVIDEO
\nNeymar surpassed Pele as Brazil\u2019s all-time top scorer with two second-half goals in a 5-1 win over Bolivia in South America\u2019s 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday.
\nThe 31-year-old striker went into the game level with Pele on 77 goals and had a golden opportunity to break the record in the 17th minute when Brazil were awarded a penalty.
\nBut he looked distraught after his soft spot-kick was easily saved by Bolivia keeper Guillermo Viscarra to keep the scores goalless.
\nSeven minutes later, Brazil got in front when Rodrygo reacted quickly to slot home after a shot from Raphinha was parried out by Viscarra.
\nBrazil doubled their lead just after the break when Raphinha cut in from the left and his low shot took a slight deflection as it flew into the bottom corner.
\nNeymar had a hand in Brazil\u2019s third, with a clever chipped pass that was flicked on by Bruno Guimaraes into the path of Rodrygo who confidently drilled home.
\nThen came Neymar\u2019s moment to enter the history books as he pounced on a loose ball inside the box and tucked away his 78th goal in his 125th game for his country – raising his hands and his gaze to the skies.
\nVictor Abrego pulled a goal back for Bolivia, bustling through a disorganized Brazil backline before blasting an unstoppable shot past Ederson.
\nBut there was still time for Neymar to extend his record tally, connecting with a low ball from Raphinha in stoppage time to complete the victory and a memorable night for the forward.
\nThe 31-year-old former Barcelona striker recently moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
\nPele, who died in December aged 82, scored 77 goals for Brazil in 92 appearances between 1957 and 1971.
\nThe win was the perfect start for new coach Fernando Diniz, who took over from predecessor Tite in the wake of the Selecao\u2019s World Cup quarter-final exit last year.
\nDiniz paid tribute to Neymar, whose role in the squad has been under scrutiny.
\n\u201cMany did not know what he would come to do, and he came to do what he did: have fun, score two goals and break the record,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cHe is a very big idol, people must recognize him and accept him,\u201d he added.
\nIn Friday\u2019s other game, Uruguay turned on the style, under new coach Marcelo Bielsa, as they beat Chile 3-1.
\nArgentine Bielsa, who had previously coached Chile between 2007 and 2011, opted for a youthful line-up without veteran strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez. Bielsa was rewarded with an entertaining display from his new charges with River Plate attacking midfielder Nicolas de la Cruz scoring twice.
\nDe la Cruz opened the scoring with a fine left-foot strike in the 38th minute before Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time. De la Cruz broke down the left before switching to Valverde, who made space before burying a shot into the far bottom corner.
\nThe third goal, in the 71st minute, came after a fast break down the left with Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez pulling the ball back into the path of De la Cruz who made no mistake from close range.
\nChile pulled a goal back three minutes later with Arturo Vidal scrambling the ball home after a Diego Valdes header came out off the bar.
\nBielsa was delighted with the display from his new charges.
\n\u201cI like the style of the Uruguayan players,\u201d he said, \u201cThe style of play is imposed by individuals not the coach. The first ten minutes were not good but then we progressively generated goal opportunities and wore down the opponent,\u201d he added.
\nThe qualification process for the expanded 48-team World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026, offers two extra places for South America with six teams qualifying directly.
\nThe seventh out of the 10 nations will head to an inter-continental play-off.
\nThe opening games on Thursday saw Argentina beat Ecuador 1-0 with a goal from Lionel Messi while Peru drew 0-0 at Paraguay and Colombia beat Venezuela 1-0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
31-year-old striker scores two second-half goals in a 5-1 win over Bolivia MONTEVIDEO Neymar surpassed Pele as Brazil\u2019s all-time top scorer with two second-half goals in a 5-1 win over Bolivia in South America\u2019s 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday. The 31-year-old striker went into the game level with Pele on 77 goals and had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-354987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n