Why Neymar cried after helping Brazil secure crucial win over Costa Rica

Posted Saturday, June 23, 2018 by Caughtoffside.com

Neymar cut an emotional figure after helping Brazil secure a crucial 2-0 win over Costa Rica on Friday afternoon in their World Cup clash.

After being held to a draw by Switzerland in their opening game, the pressure was on Tite's side as they needed a win to give themselves a major boost in order to avoid a potential scare of a premature exit from the tournament.

They eventually broke down a stubborn Costa Rica side in injury time, with goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar doing the damage. The latter was then seen covering his face and in tears after the full-time whistle as the emotion of the event clearly got the better of him.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a fine first season with Paris Saint-Germain this past year, scoring 28 goals and providing 16 assists in 30 appearances.

However, his campaign was cut short in February after he sustained a foot injury, and after a race to recover and be passed fit for the World Cup this summer, it would have taken a lot of dedication and hard work to ensure that he could represent his country in Russia.

As noted in his Instagram post below, the struggle to get back in time to then score his first goal of the tournament to secure a vital win was seemingly too much emotion for the Brazilian ace, which in turn led to his tears of 'happiness'.

"Not everyone knows what I went through to get here. I cried out of happiness, overcoming, grit and desire to win," his caption reads.

"Things were never easy in my life, so why would they be now? The dream - no, the objective - is still alive. Congratulations for the performance, guys. You're f****** great."

Now off and running with his first goal with Brazil as a whole looking as though they are also starting to click into place, the win over Costa Rica could prove to be a fundamental moment in their World Cup campaign this summer.