Brazil captain Neymar pleased with stern Uruguay test
Uruguay made life difficult for Brazil on Friday, but that made victory even sweeter for Brazil captain Neymar.
Brazil's 1-0 victory over Uruguay at Emirates Stadium on Friday was far from convincing, but Neymar was pleased to have faced a stern test. The Selecão's schedule since the World Cup has included routine victories over United States, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia, with their first real challenge being a narrow win over an Argentina side without Lionel Messi.
Spot-kick winner
Neymar came in for some tough treatment from Óscar Tabárez's dogged team in north London, but they could not stop him being the match winner as he slotted home a 76th-minute penalty. Although Brazil appeared far from their best against their South American rivals, Neymar was pleased with the performance. However, he acknowledged there is still plenty of work to do for Tite's squad.
"I'm happier than after the last matches, because we had an opponent who plays you better, makes you work both defensively and offensively," said the Paris Saint-Germain star. "It was as we imagined. We knew that Uruguay don't give you much space and that it would be a difficult game because Uruguay are great in the air and there are two strikers who are the biggest in football".