Brazil’s Joy Is Mexico’s Heartbreak in World Cup Knockout

There are no curses, Mexico Coach Juan Carlos Osorio had insisted, no reasons to be superstitious about the team’s apparent inability, one World Cup after another, to advance to the quarterfinal round. There are simply good game plans, he said, and good players.
Hoodoo or not, Mexico on Monday had its World Cup run ended spectacularly, maddeningly, by one of the world’s very best players, Neymar, who scored a goal and assisted on another to lead Brazil to a 2-0 win in a round of 16 game at Samara Arena.