FIFA World Cup: Richarlison scores to win, and Brazil start World Cup with a bang

The Spurs star was preferred to Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus and justified his selection by scoring both goals for Brazil.

Serbia were an exciting support act for the roadshow. They're a big country with a lot of talent, but there are also some challenges.

Aleksandar Mitrovic had finally figured out how to score goals in the Premier League and was the fourth top scorer in the division when it broke for winter. Dusan Vlahovic has been the subject of much speculation about whether he will join a bigger team, but there are few "celebrities" on this team.

The dominant Serbian defence had the upper hand in the first half, but Richarlison equalised with about half an hour to go. Ten minutes later, he added a spectacular second goal.

After lifting the ball with his left foot 12 yards from goal, Richarlison spun and leapt into the air to volley a right-footed shot into the corner of the net.

The pace of Vinicius Junior on the left was the biggest Brazilian threat in the opening stages. A lively run by the Real Madrid striker led to a corner where Neymar Jr. forced Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to steer the ball over the bar.

Neymar Jr. and Casemiro tried their luck from a distance before the first real chance of the game came in the 27th minute.

A great ball from Thiago Silva found Vinicius Junior on the left side of the penalty area, but Vanja Milinkovic-Savic quickly blocked the ball perfectly.

Neymar Jr. narrowly failed to get on the end of a Raphinha cross after good work by Lucas Paqueta, while the former Leeds player had a great chance shortly after playing a one-two with Paqueta, but Vanja Milinkovic-Savic just missed.

The Serbian goalkeeper distinguished himself again after the half-time break when he picked out Raphinha after a defensive error, and Brazil kept trying.

Neymar Jr. shot wide in the 55th minute after a Vinicius Junior tee shot, and five minutes later, Alex Sandro fired a powerful long-range shot that smacked against the post.

However, the pressure soon paid off as Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made another save from Vinicius Junior. Still, this time he could only pass the ball to Richarlison, who reacted smartly and fired into the empty net.

Serbia risked completely exposing themselves at the back by pressing for the equaliser, and their best chances came from standard situations, but they could not test Alisson Becker fully.

Richarlison's brilliant second goal ended the game, and it could have been more. Casemiro was unlucky to see his shot hit the crossbar before Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied substitute, Fred.

Richarlison's 16th-minute goal spoke volumes to Brazil's self-belief and stunned the audience. His athleticism and poise in the air communicated how well this team had come together in the last half hour. This goal was simply the best of the tournament so far.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Richarlison shows his quality 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup2022</a><a href="https://t.co/N1WXBxcKOu">https://t.co/N1WXBxcKOu</a></p>&mdash; Tottenham News (@Spurs_fl) <a href="https://twitter.com/Spurs_fl/status/1596047283610689539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Richarlison didn't just have a good game; he was the star player of the evening. Neymar Jr.'s performance was by no means terrible, but Richarlison stole the spotlight.

The only downer for Brazil was the late substitution of Neymar Jr. after treatment for a stroke, while Danilo limped off in the final minutes.