Brazil took a 4-0 lead at half-time, with goals from Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta. The second half saw a solitary consolation goal from South Korea’s Paik Seung-ho.
The Brazilian players then unfurled a banner for Pelé, 82, while paying tribute to him and motivating him in his fight against cancer.
A moving tribute to Brazilian players at their best. Peel! 💛 https://t.co/ol8Xj1M1Rf
— Adriano Del Monte (@adriandelmonte) 1670274057000
“It’s hard to talk about what Pele is going through at the moment, but I wish him all the best,” said Neymar, who previously feared an early withdrawal from the World Cup due to an ankle injury.
“I hope he will be back healthy as soon as possible and that we could have at least comforted him with the victory,” the Brazilian star told ‘Globo’.
Brazil are favorites to win the trophy, which will be their sixth World Cup title. Pele was part of the team in the first three of those triumphs
“He needs a lot of strength from us and this win is for him, so he can get out of this situation and we can be champions for him,” Vinicius said.