Highly anticipated! 34-year-old Neymar returns to play for Brazil after 981 days, delivering two brilliant passes in 19 minutes.

In the final match of World Cup Group C, which ended on June 25 Beijing time, Brazil triumphed 3-0 over Scotland, clinching the group's first place and progressing to the elimination rounds. The 34-year-old star Neymar entered as a substitute in the 76th minute, making his eagerly anticipated first appearance in this World Cup.

Since suffering an injury in the Brazilian league on the 17th of last month, Neymar had been sidelined for a month due to a calf issue. Although he was successfully named in Brazil's 26-man squad for the World Cup, he missed the first two group matches. This even led to a joke from Brazilian President Lula, who said Neymar was "working remotely" during the World Cup.

Fortunately, before the final group-stage match, Neymar recovered in time and made his debut as a substitute. This was also the first time Neymar had played for the Brazilian national team in 981 days.

Neymar's previous appearance for Brazil was on October 18, 2023, in a 0-2 loss to Uruguay. This marks his fourth time playing in a World Cup.

After coming on, Neymar was very active, taking several set pieces and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. In the 90th minute, he even took his first shot of this World Cup.

According to post-match statistics, during his 19 minutes on the pitch, Neymar touched the ball 22 times, had one shot on target, delivered two key passes to his teammates, and earned a decent score of 6.5. In his comeback debut, Neymar showed impressive form.