Neymar unfazed by critics after sweet and sour display downs Mexico

Brazil superstar Neymar brushed off his critics after firing the five-time World Cup winners to victory over Mexico on Monday and into a quarter-final showdown with Belgium.

Neymar scored one goal and created another as his increasingly impressive Brazil side overpowered the Mexicans 2-0 in sweltering conditions.

But Neymar's sparkling performance was tarnished by yet another example of his tendency to overreact to seemingly innocuous challenges.

The latest chapter in a bulging catalogue of histrionic behaviour came in the second half, when Mexico midfielder Miguel Layun appeared to step on his ankle as he lay prone. Neymar writhed around and convulsed as if he had received an electric shock.

"I think it's a shame for football," Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio lamented afterwards, saying Neymar's antics had wasted precious time.

"We wasted a lot of time because of one single player ... we lost our style in the second half, because of the referee.

"This is a very bad example for the world and the world of football."
- 'Absolutely pathetic' -
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As social media platforms exploded with fans angrily accusing Neymar of cheating, former England striker Alan Shearer described the Paris Saint-Germain star as "absolutely pathetic."
"But it really is pathetic when he is rolling around as if he is in agony." Yet Neymar shrugged off the criticism after his man-of-the-match performance, claiming it was motivated to "undermine me."
"It's magnificent how he's playing, especially after three and a half months on the sidelines,"
PSG teammate Silva said. "It's very difficult to come back the way he's done."