Neymar, Jesus and Coutinho send Selecao to Russia in style
#SeleçãoBrasileira na Rússia! ⚽️🇧🇷 #GigantesPorNatureza #WorldCup
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) June 11, 2018
Foto: Lucas Figueiredo/CBF pic.twitter.com/eg9JY83dYk
Neymar and the rest of the team touched down in Sochi, the Black Sea resort city where they will be based during the tournament, just before 3am local time (0000 GMT) on a flight from Vienna. They left the Austrian capital on Sunday (June 10) evening after beating their hosts 3-0 in their final friendly ahead of the World Cup, with Neymar among the scorers.
| Group E analysis (Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica)" />Brazil Team analysis | Group E analysis (Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica)
The world's most expensive player netted on what was his first start since undergoing surgery on a fractured foot in early March, while Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho scored the other goals against an Austrian side who failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Partiu Rússia, partiu buscar o nosso sonho! ✈️🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/yVm1MMPmWF
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) June 10, 2018
Following the win over Austria, coach Tite said he is yet to decide his playing XI for the opening World Cup match against Switzerland. "On Friday I pick the team. Now I'm still on adrenaline," Tite said after the match. "The competitive concentration of these athletes is commendable. Today this team has set an example and is maturing. We came into a game with lots of contact and had a great performance."
Speaking about the star player of the team, Neymar, Tite said, "I do not even know the limit of Neymar. His technical and creative ability is impressive. When we release him in the last third of the field, he's lethal."
#SeleçãoBrasileira chegou no hotel e foi muito bem recebida! 😍⚽️🇧🇷 #GigantesPorNatureza
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) June 11, 2018
Fotos: Lucas Figueiredo/CBF pic.twitter.com/dFZLEUdHvU
Neymar completed 83 minutes before making way for Douglas Costa - a decision Tite explained was taken as a precaution against any potential muscular strains for his star man.
Brazil begin their campaign next Sunday (June 17) when they face Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don. They will also come up against Costa Rica and Serbia in Group E.
Source: (With input from PTI and agencies)