Brazil

Willian praises 'excellent' Neymar

Neymar has been criticised for his theatrics in Russia, but the forward has netted twice and provided an assist in four games.

The Paris Saint-Germain star only made his return from injury last month and Willian feels Neymar is only getting better at the showpiece event.

"All of us know how important he [Neymar] is for our team and what his level of quality is," Willian said Wednesday.

"He has been playing better one game after the other as well. Our plan is to continue evolving, improving, until we get to the final if we are fortunate enough.

Silva: Fouling Neymar is normal

Neymar, who only returned from a fractured metatarsal last month, looked close to his best on Monday when Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals in Russia.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was often at the centre of things, as he scored and played a key role in Roberto Firmino getting the second.

But he also received criticism for what Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio described as "acting" when Miguel Layun appeared to step on his ankle.

However, Silva does not believe rough treatment is anything new for Neymar.

Neymar usurps Messi and Ronaldo

Following a World Cup weekend which saw Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo bow out of the competition within a few hours of each other, the Selecao's talisman avoided befalling the same fate by scoring one and assisting the other in Monday's 2-0 win over Mexico in Samara.

The other two members of football's megastar fraternity had been confined to peripheral figures as Argentina and Portugal were undone by France and Uruguay respectively - Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani stealing the limelight to perhaps signal the end of Messi and Ronaldo's duopoly.

Brazil 2 Mexico 0

Tite's men are yet to hit full stride at Russia 2018, and on this evidence they still have more to come, but Neymar's 51st-minute goal and Firmino's tap-in after coming off the bench meant the tournament favourites progressed with relative comfort in the end, and avoided the early exit that has already befallen the likes of Spain, Germany and Argentina.

Mexico were the dominant force in the opening 20 minutes in Samara, but they were unable to make their superiority count and eventually allowed their muted opponents to scrap their way into the game.

Brazil 2 Costa Rica 0

Desperate for a win in St Petersburg after being held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in their opening fixture, Brazil looked like missing out on the three points when the decision to award Neymar a spot-kick was overturned in the 79th minute.

The former Barcelona star went down softly under the challenge of Giancarlo Gonzalez, with referee Bjorn Kuipers initially pointing to the spot.

However, VAR intervention led to a reversal of the decision, as replays showed minimal contact between Gonzalez and Neymar, who had fallen backwards as if pulled down.

Germany 0 Brazil 1

The game marked the first senior meeting between the heavyweights since a remarkable World Cup semi-final in 2014 when Germany thumped the stunned hosts Brazil 7-1 in Belo Horizonte.

While the result will not erase the humiliation of one of Brazilian football's darkest nights, the nature of their performance suggests they are approaching their best as they look to land a sixth World Cup.

Brazilian great Kaka announces retirement from football

Kaka, who played most of his career at AC Milan and Real Madrid, revealed his decision in an interview with the Brazilian O Globo channel.

The attacking midfielder won the Italian Serie A with Milan and the 2007 Champions League and collected league and cup titles with Real. He also won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, who he was capped for 92 times from 2002 to 2016, and the Ballon d'Or as best player in the world in 2007.

He was the last player to win the award before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo began their decade-long duopoly at the top of the game.

Elliot Ragomo on the verge of making history in Brazil

He is been tipped by Minas Tenis club in Brazil to play in the LNF Brazilian national professional futsal league.

Currently the club is looking at Ragomo’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC) to qualify him to play in the professional league.

If his ITC goes well he will be the first foreign player to play in Brazil on professional level.

Ragomo has been directly trained under the best futsal coaches in Brazil, who are currently leading the national senior futsal team and national U-17.

Zika virus: Brazil says emergency is over

The number of cases dropped 95% between January and April, compared to the same period a year ago, officials said.

The virus has been linked to the birth of babies with abnormally small heads. The threat was at its peak as Brazil prepared to host the 2016 Olympics.

The World Health Organisation lifted its own international emergency in November last year.

The Zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries.

Venezuela indigenous group flees crisis for Brazil

The authorities have declared a social emergency to seek government funds to help with the influx.

The Warao say they travelled around 2,000 km (1,250 miles) and are fleeing hunger and Venezuela's worsening economic and political crisis.

Warao people have also gone to the northern Brazilian state of Roraima.

In Boa Vista, the state capital, city authorities say more than 500 Warao arrived across the border but were deported because of concerns about vagrancy and begging.