Brazil crushed its guest Bolivia 5-1 in the opening of their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, where Neymar surpassed the legendary Pelé to become his country's all-time top scorer. Neymar, 31 years old and who joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia this summer, recovered from missing a penalty in the first half and scored two goals in the 61st minute and the third minute of stoppage time to raise his tally to 79 goals, becoming Brazil's all-time leading scorer.
A message was posted on Pelé's account on the platform known as X, formerly Twitter: "Congratulations to Neymar for surpassing the king's goals with Brazil. Ultimately, Pelé is happy for you."
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo shone by scoring two goals, opening the scoring in the 24th minute and again finding the net after a brilliant pass from Newcastle United's Bruno Guimarães to make it 3-0 in the 52nd minute.
Rodrygo, 22, told Brazilian TV network Globo, "It’s truly an exceptional day... Neymar is my idol, and helping him become the all-time leading scorer will remain in my memory forever."
Raphinha, who replaced Antony in Brazil's lineup, scored in the opening seconds of the second half with a pass from Neymar, extending the home team's lead to 2-0.
Victor Abrego netted Bolivia's only goal in the 78th minute.
Brazil aims to continue its winning streak when it visits Peru on Tuesday. Uruguay also started the qualifiers well with a 3-1 victory over Chile, marking Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa's first official win with the team.
