Tite hails Brazil's 'offensive boldness'

Doha, Dec 6 (IANS) Brazil manager Tite applauded his team's attacking flair after a sparkling 4-1 victory over South Korea in their World Cup round of 16 match on Tuesday.

Vinicius Junior put Brazil ahead with a cool finish, and Neymar doubled the lead from the penalty spot at Stadium 974. Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta extended the advantage before substitute Paik Seung-ho pulled a late goal back for South Korea.

"It's the offensive boldness of this team and the way we play collectively that is impressive," Tite told reporters, reports Xinhua. "This batch of players is the result of a lot of work from many people, starting at the grassroots level.

"Another feature is that we have a balanced team, both defensively and offensively. The players realize that this balance is what we need in a tournament like this."

The victory means Brazil will meet Croatia at Education City stadium in the quarterfinals on Friday (Dec. 9).

Tite also commented on his celebratory dance with Richarlison and Brazil's bench after the Tottenham forward's 29th-minute strike.

"I asked him [before the match], 'What is that dance? If you show me, I'll do it'," Tite said.

"But I have to be very careful. There might be people who say it was disrespectful. I knew there would be a camera there and I didn't want it to be misinterpreted. I would never disrespect the opponent or [South Korea manager] Paulo Bento."