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S. Korea 0-2 Brazil
(Yonhap) Brazil blanked South Korea 2-0 during their soccer friendly on Saturday, as its brightest stars came through with goals worthy of the highlight reels.
Before a record crowd of 65,308 at Seoul World Cup Stadium, FC Barcelona star Neymar and Chelsea sensation Oscar scored a goal apiece, as the visitors outclassed the aggressive South Koreans during the entire match.
Brazil, currently No. 8 in the world, has beaten the 58th-ranked South Korea in four of their five meetings.
Following a relatively quiet early stretch, Neymar lived up to his billing with a picture-perfect free kick score in the 43rd minute. After getting fouled several meters right of the arc, Neymar stepped up to curl one over the South Korean wall and past the diving goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong.
Neymar faced tough challenges from the Koreans almost from start to finish. The winger was pursued by multiple South Korean players nearly every time he had the ball, which often led to hard fouls that visibly frustrated him. Neymar frequently threw his hands up as he mouthed his displeasure with referees and even found himself in the center of a shoving match with several South Koreans late in the first half.
Brazil went up by two just three minutes into the second half. Paulinho threaded a pass in-between two South Korean defenders and found the charging Oscar on a breakaway.The midfielder zipped past the prone Jung and fired a shot into the empty net.
The South Koreans tried to rally in the second half but their efforts were often foiled by speedy and skilled Brazilian defenders. In the 68th minute, Lee Chung-yong tried to head in a corner but redirected it wide of the left post. South Korea never came closer to scoring during the rest of the match, as Brazil remained in complete control.
South Korea hosts Mali next in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. Brazil travels to Beijing to face Zambia, also on Tuesday.