Brazil put in a five-star performance against South Africa this evening with Neymar scoring three times in the 5-0 win at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
This is how we rated the players:
Júlio César – 7: The new Toronto FC loan keeper had little to do in the match but made one excellent save to earn Seleção a clean sheet.
Rafinha – 6: Promising start but in an easy game against inferior opponents more is to be expected from the Bayern Munich full back.
Thiago Silva – 7: No surprise the Brazil captain was as solid and reliable as ever.
David Luiz – 7: Along with fellow central defender Silva, the Chelsea man put in a solid display before being replaced by rival Dante.
Marcelo – 7: A tidy performance by the Real Madrid full back and predictably good offensively but hardly tested defensively.
Fernandinho 7: He played various position in the match, first starting as a holding midfielder before moving forward and scoring a sensational first Seleção goal. Good display from the Manchester City man.
Paulinho – 6: Only 45 minutes for the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and he failed to build a strong relationship with Fernandinho in that time.
Oscar – 8: Excellent first half from the Chelsea man and he scored the opener with a composed finish. He was subbed at half time but impressed nevertheless.
Hulk – 6: He played an exquisite pass for Oscar’s opening goal and although he shined in patches he didn’t secure his starting position with this performance.
Neymar – 9: A hat-trick for the 22-year-old and a terrific showing despite missing a couple of chances. After some poor displays for Barcelona he was back to his best with Brazil.
Fred – 6: The Fluminense man is still Scolari’s number one forward but didn’t impress too much despite bagging him an assist.
Second half substitutes:
Willian – 7: Introduced at the start of the second half for club team mate Oscar and an impressive display, he is pushing Hulk for a starting position.
Ramires – 6: Typically energetic performance from the Chelsea midfielder.
Luiz Gustavo – 6: The Wolfsburg man allowed Fernandinho to push forward in the second and performed well.
Jô – 6: A good cameo from the former Manchester City striker and he helped himself to an assist like rival Fred.
