Neymar, Brazil wallop Korea on way to World Cup quarterfinal

DOHA, Qatar — Brazil looked every bit like the tournament favorite as they danced and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over South Korea at 974 Stadium, knocking the last team from Asia out of the World Cup.

If there was any thought that South Korea could hang with Brazil, those thoughts faded almost immediately. Vinicius Junior got Brazil on the scoreboard just seven minutes into the game

When Neymar, returning from injury, scored a penalty six minutes later, it was lights out. Both Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta also scored first-half goals as Brazil returned to form.

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Rapid reaction

1. Neymar and Danilo return to fuel Brazil

The shadow cast over Brazil by Neymar’s ankle injury loomed large over the past week. To lose him and Danilo in the opening game didn’t necessarily figure to impact the team’s chances to advance early in the tournament, but it could have posed some longer-term problems for the knockout stage. When Neymar got the go-ahead Sunday, the conversation shifted to: “We’ll see how fit he looks.”

The verdict is in: He’s back. All the way back.

For 80 minutes, Neymar moved around the field without a sign of a player with an injury concern. And in the first half, before Brazil took its foot off the gas, Neymar’s presence commanded South Korea’s attention more than anyone else.

The space Neymar created for the rest of Brazil’s embarrassment of attacking riches made for one of the most exciting attacking displays this World Cup has seen. That, combined with Danilo’s return, bodes well for Brazil, particularly after Danilo’s efforts contributed to unbalancing South Korea in the midfield, which made them so vulnerable repeatedly.

Brazil’s 4-0 halftime lead is tied…