The World Cup of Neymar has come to a premature end.

Brazil’s star was set to lead his side on a redemption tour after their 2014 humiliation, but instead he was left trying to do too much and failing as La Selecao crashed out after a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Belgium.

Here’s a closer look at Neymar’s performance on Friday.

KEY STATS

Goals – 0

Assists – 0

Shots – 3

Shots on target – 1

Pass Accuracy – 83%

Key Passes – 7

Dribbles – 3

30-SECOND REPORT

This was a game where Neymar tried hard, kept the histrionics to a minimum – by his usual standards, at least – and was his least self-absorbed self. The urgency of chasing a two-goal deficit galvanised him. Unfortunately, Brazil needed magic, the sort Neymar is capable of producing but couldn’t on Friday. He came up just short and it brought his World Cup to an end.

GOT RIGHT

Chance creation – Neymar was already topping the charts for chances created and he added another seven on Friday. As usual, he was Brazil’s chief creative force, even if he ended up with no assists or goals.

Dribbling – The Paris Saint-Germain star can always be relied upon to wriggle his way out of tight corners and have the beating of his man. He was at it again on Friday.

GOT WRONG

At times Neymar was guilty of trying too hard, forcing the issue rather than letting the game come to him. It’s no wonder he was dispossessed more times (5) than any other player in the game even though he was his team’s standout player. If he is to lead a team to a major prize, this is a tendency he’ll have to curb.

VERDICT

Carrying the hopes of an entire nation is a heavy burden for anyone, and even more so when the country is Brazil and the prize is a World Cup trophy that hasn’t come home since 2002. That’s what weighs on Neymar’s shoulders, and on Friday, for all his best efforts, he couldn’t deliver. He’ll have to wait four more years for another chance.

RATING – 7/10