Neymar sheds ‘tears of joy’ after defeating Costa Rica

Saint Petersburg, June 23: Brazil football star Neymar said the tears he shed following Friday’s 2-0 victory here over Costa Rica were an expression of joy and triumph.

The teams were deadlocked 0-0 when the Group E World Cup match went into stoppage time, but Philippe Coutinho put Brazil up 1-0 in the 91st minute and Neymar added a second goal six minutes later, Efe news reported.

“Not everybody knows what I have been through to be here. Talking, even parrots can talk, now it is time for action. The tears are of joy, of overcoming, of courage,” Neymar tweeted after the match.

The striker was sidelined for three months after a foot injury in February required him to undergo surgery.

Needing time to recover, Neymar saw limited action in friendlies ahead of the World Cup.

“In my life, things have never been easy and they could not be easy now. The dream continues,” the 26-year-old said on Twitter.

Neymar, who left Barcelona last summer for Paris Saint-Germain in a record-setting transfer, brought his international goal tally to 56, surpassing Romario as fourth all-time on Brazil’s scoring list.