Neymar, Coutinho shine as Brazil rout Argentina

TIL Desk Sports/ Neymar scored a goal and set up another as Brazil heaped misery on Argentina with a 3-0 victory in their World Cup qualifier here. Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Guangzhou Evergrande’s Paulinho were also on target to ensure that Brazil maintained their one-point cushion at the top of the South American zone (CONMEBOL) standings on Thursday.

It was a happy return for the Selecao to the Mineirao Stadium, which was also the stage for their worst-ever defeat 15 months ago. And while nothing will erase the memory of that harsh 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, Thursday’s result will likely go some way towards bringing some semblance of closure.

Desperately needing a win to jumpstart their stalled World Cup qualifying campaign, the Albiceleste predictably set their team up to sit back and exploit the hosts on the counterattack. But Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain were starved of opportunities for most of the first half, as Brazil dictated the terms.