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Brazil trounce Cameroon 4-1 to enter FIFA WC knock-out stage

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ANI London

Brazil on Monday trounced Cameroon 4-1 to enter the knock-out stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Star striker Neymar scored twice in a man-of-the-match display as Brazil rediscovered their attacking flair to overwhelm Cameroon. The 22-year-old produced two brilliant first-half strikes either side of a Joel Matip equaliser.

Thereafter, Fred and Fernandinho assuring their side of a place in the last 16 as winners of Group A with a goal each, reports the BBC.

Standing between the hosts and a place in the quarter-finals are Chile, and Brazil can approach that meeting in Belo Horizonte on Saturday with renewed belief in their title chances.

 

Earlier, unconvincing performances against Croatia and Mexico raised concerns about Brazil's march into the knock-out stage of the tournament.

The teams that have qualified for the last 16 so far are as follows: Brazil (Group A); Mexico (Group A); Netherlands (Group B); Chile (Group B); Colombia (Group C); Costa Rica (Group D); Argentina (Group F) and Belgium (Group H).

Before the start of the game, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari named an identical line-up to the one that beat Japan, meaning Hulk returned from injury to replace Ramires in the same 4-3-3 formation that edged them past Croatia.

All in all, it was a sensational green and yellow atmosphere inside Brasilia's magnificent Estadio Nacional, and the national team responded brilliantly to that support.

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First Published: Jun 24 2014 | 9:11 AM IST

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