Paulinho scored his first World Cup goal to set Brazil on the path to victory in their must-win Group E match against Serbia on Wednesday.

It continued what has been an amazing 12-month spell for the Barcelona man, who was still playing in the Chinese Super League a year ago.

Here’s a closer look at Paulinho’s display in Brazil’s 2-0 win.

KEY STATS 

Goals – 1

Shots – 1

Assists – 0

Pass Accuracy – 88%

Key Passes – 0

Touches – 37

30-SECOND REPORT

Paulinho may be polarising but when he gets it right he can be incredibly good, and Wednesday was one of those days. He didn’t get on the ball much – he rarely does – but the efficiency and intelligence of his movement means that he was usually in a dangerous position when he did. That quality led to the goal that set Brazil rolling.

GOT RIGHT

Movement – Paulinho’s intelligent movement on the pitch is an underrated facet of his game. It was a clever run that brought about Brazil’s opening goal, exploiting a gap in the Serbian defence with lethal precision.

Touch – No one would associate the phrase “deft touch” with Paulinho, but this is a player who plays for Barcelona after all. That touch was on display when he scored.

GOT WRONG

37 touches is fewer than any Brazil starter bar their goalkeeper. Paulinho’s value lies in his movement pulling defenders out of position without being in possession, but he can still get on the ball more often than that. It’s no wonder he’s often the first player taken off for Brazil, as he was today, not counting Marcelo’s withdrawal due to injury.

VERDICT

A goal at the World Cup should silence whatever doubters Paulinho still has. He’ll never be everyone’s cup of tea, and there will always be critics who wonder how Paulinho fits into a talented Brazil side. Performances like this answer that question. His movement to score a famous World Cup goal was classic Paulinho, doing whatever it took to have an impact.

RATING – 7/10