Neymar labelled a "clown" after Brazil's win over Peru

Martin Macdonald

Neymar has been labelled a "clown" by Peru defender Carlos Zambrano following Brazil's 4-2 World Cup qualifying victory during the week.

The PSG star was in sublime form, scoring a hat-trick and earning a 9.7 FC Rating for his performance on the night.

Two of the goals which he scored came from the penalty spot, and both were won by him after going down inside the box.

Zambrano says he respects Neymar's talents as a player, but was scathing about his actions during the match.

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"Honestly, he is a great player, one of the best in the world, but for me he is a real clown," Zambrano told La banda del Chino'.

"[Neymar] is aware of everything he did on the field, he is a great player but he was looking for the slightest foul.

"In the penalty area he threw himself four or five times to see if they would award him a penalty and in the end he achieved his goal, with two penalties, but they weren't."

The Peru defender goes on to suggest that the penalties were only given via VAR because they were facing the might of Brazil.

"It's Brazil and at the touch [immediately] they went to look at the VAR. Whether the play was positive or negative, they did review the images because it is Brazil," he added.

With his three goals in the game, Neymar became the second-highest goalscorer for Brazil in history, surpassing the great Ronaldo, while only Pele is ahead of him in the standings now.

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