Brazil players pay touching tribute to Pele after thrashing South Korea to reach World Cup quarter-finals

The Brazil players paid tribute to the legendary Pele after beating South Korea to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in convincing fashion.

Favourites to go all the way in Qatar, the five-time winners underlined such a hefty tag with a scintillating display in Doha’s Stadium 974, scoring four excellent goals in a thrilling first-half performance.

Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta all scored before half-time, ensuring Brazil have made the final eight once more.

The result comes after Pele was hospitalised over the weekend. However, the 82-year-old’s daughter has dismissed suggestions in the Brazilian press that her father was receiving palliative care.

Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Pele is the only man to win three World Cups and is still Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, finding the back of the net 77 times in 92 caps between 1957-71.

After the game, stars of the Brazil team paid a touching tribute to him, with Pele having announced on Twitter he would be watching from his hospital bed. The squad gathered together on the pitch and raised a special poster of Pele’s iconic celebration in 1970.

Brazil will not meet Croatia on Friday in the quarter-finals.