Going into Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Croatia speculation had mounted on head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to drop Oscar in place of his Chelsea team mate Willian.
Oscar had disappointed in both warm up matches while the former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder had performed solidly.
However, Scolari kept faith with the 22-year-old and was rewarded with Oscar producing one of his best ever performances in a Brazil shirt.
The Chelsea ace spoke to AS after the game and couldn’t hide his delight, especially after playing a part in all three goals.
Oscar said: “In the first I had to fight with four players to lay the ball off to Neymar.
“In the second I touched it onto Fred, and then I scored.”
The Brazil number 11 provided the finishing touch to a solid opening performances from the hosts.
Oscar’s toe-poked finish sealed the 3-1 victory and also capped his performance with a deserved goal.
He admitted it was one of his best performances ever, adding: “I’m so happy. It was one of the best games of my career. Now we must concentrate on our defending.”
