Neymar and Brazil arrive in Russia

Dramatic late strikes by Philippe Coutinho and Neymar gave Brazil their first win of the World Cup against Costa Rica in St Petersburg on Friday and broke Central American hearts by sending them out of the tournament.

The result leaves the five-times world champions with four points from two games after they drew 1-1 with Switzerland in their opening match, and they provisionally rise above Serbia to top Group E.

Serbia play Switzerland later on Friday.

The clock had ticked past 90 minutes when Marcelo crossed from the left and substitute Roberto Firmino headed the ball back across goal to Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus's first touch took the ball away from the defender and Coutinho raced in to poke past Keylor Navas from six metres out and claim his second goal of the tournament.

Neymar added the second with practically the last kick of the game, racing on to Jesus's square ball following a quick counter-attack as Costa Rica were forced to push for the equaliser.

The forward, who thought he had won a penalty in the 77th minute only for the referee to reverse the decision after consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR), was overcome by emotion on the whistle, covering his face as tears streamed down his cheeks.

For long periods Costa Rica's flat-back five kept Neymar on the periphery, with Johan Venegas and Cristian Gamboa both man-marking him out of the game as Brazil found it hard to carve out chances in the first half.

Marcelo's tame shot straight at Navas in the 41st minute was the first effort on target from either side before the break, and the team went into halftime with the boos and whistles of their own fans ringing in their ears.

Celso Borges spurned arguably the best chance of the first period for Costa Rica when he ran on to Gamboa's cut back but shot wide from eight metres out.

The result means Brazil have avoided the ignominy of equalling their longest winless run at the World Cup.

Forget snakes, it's scorpions Brazilians most need to worry about.

The arachnids -- feared for the toxic stinger poised atop their tails -- are proliferating thanks to urbanization and warming temperatures.

The result is that scorpions have become the most lethal poisonous animal in Brazil, posing a growing danger for people across the whole country -- and spurring demand for antivenom.

The most widely found species in the country, the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is the most dangerous scorpion in South America.

Unusually for scorpions, this all-female species also reproduces asexually, reducing population-control options.

"With a warming habitat, these animals' metabolisms are also warming, so they are more active, eating more and reproducing more," explained Thiago Chiariello, production coordinator of the scorpion antivenom lab at Brazil's Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo.

Add to that rampant urbanization which both scares away scorpions' natural predators such as lizards and birds while boosting the number of available cockroaches -- tasty meals for the arachnids -- and the problem is evident.

"Cities are growing unchecked" and the spread of trash they bring means more food supply for scorpions, Chiariello said.

"This is leading to more contact with people, which means more accidents."

Soaring sting numbers

Last year -- the latest dataset available -- there were 152 deaths from scorpion stings in Brazil, compared with 140 from snakebites. That was an increase from 2019, when 95 deaths by scorpion sting were recorded.

According to Brazil's health ministry, there were more than 200,000 scorpion sting incidents registered last year -- 250 percent more than a decade earlier, and an average of nearly 550 stings per day.

Healthy adults might get mild to moderate symptoms from a Brazilian yellow scorpion sting, including pain, vomiting, profuse sweating and tremors.

But there are more severe symptoms -- including shock, fluid build-up in the lungs, cardiovascular collapse and heart failure -- that can prove deadly, especially for children and the elderly.

Life-saving antivenom

That makes the Butantan institute's antivenom very important.

Chiariello's team carry out their serum-making task in making that serum with extreme precision.

They first use tweezers to guide a live scorpion's stinger into a container.

The poison is then injected into horses, which are less vulnerable to the toxin's effects than humans, and which produce more antibodies.

"There is a whole purification process in the horses' blood," explained Paulo Goldoni, a biologist at the institute.

"The serum is the only way to save lives," he said.

Last year saw more than 11,000 people in Brazil receive scorpion antivenom, mostly in the country's heavily populated southeast, according to authorities.

With serum demand growing, but also the number of available scorpions, the Instituto Butantan has a steady supply of venom donors.

"If ever there was a lack of serum, we would certainly see a serious increase in the number of deaths," the biologist said.

Striker Neymar said it was hard to control his feelings when he was being insulted, commenting on a heated exchange he had with a fan after his late goal was ruled out and his club Santos suffered a 2-1 defeat that left them in the Brazilian Serie A relegation zone.

The 33-year-old Brazilian, who has had a frustrating time since returning to his boyhood club this year, went over to the stands at the end of Wednesday's game with Internacional to talk with a fan who appeared to be remonstrating with him.

Videos showed Neymar agitated and gesticulating, then raising a thumbs up as a teammate ushers him away.

"In the heat of the moment, it is difficult to control your feelings when you are unfairly offended," Neymar posted on Instagram late on Thursday.

"I will never argue with fans when they criticise me on the pitch, because they have the right to say whether I played badly or not, and they have every right to boo me!

"What they can't do is insult me the way they insulted me..."

Santos had been pushing for a comeback from two goals with Alvaro Martin Barreal scoring a minute into added time. Three minutes later, Neymar thought he had scored with a left-footed shot and celebrated in front of cheering home fans.

But boos rang out across Vila Belmiro stadium as the referee ruled the ball had not crossed the line.

Santos are 17th in the 20-club league, where the bottom four are relegated to Serie B at the end of the season.

The former Barcelona and Paris St Germain player has had a torrid time since returning: sidelined with injury, sent off for a handball and suffering COVID-19.

"On the day the fans think I can no longer help or that I am harming the club in any way, I will be the first to pack my things and leave!" Neymar added in his remarks on Thursday.

"Santos is one of my greatest passions, and as long as I have the strength, I will do my best for this club. I will run, fight, shout, and even argue if necessary to get Santos where it deserves to be."

Carlo Ancelotti might not have gotten the start he had wanted as Brazil coach, but the Italian is definitely gaining the confidence of his players. 

Ancelotti's debut as coach of Brazil ended in a goalless draw in Ecuador in South American World Cup qualifying on Thursday.

While there was no instant impact from Ancelotti, Vinicius Jr, who played under the coach in Madrid, said he needed time to make his impact felt.

"I'm very happy to have Ancelotti here with us, because I've always said he's the best coach I've ever worked with. Having the opportunity to work with him in the Brazilian national team is the best," the winger told SporTV.

"He hasn't had time to show his work, his game plan, because he's only had two or three days of training," he added.

Ancelotti's side created more chances, but failed to capitalise, with Richarlison squandering a well-placed pass from Vinicius Jr in the box and a powerful long-range shot from Casemiro, recalled to the national side by Ancelotti, being saved by Valle.

"Of course, we always have to improve, but little by little we're getting better. It's only been two or three days with a new coach. The dynamic is good, and the atmosphere is good. I'm very happy to be back. The atmosphere is excellent," Casemiro said after the match.

Ancelotti, the 65-year-old Italian, who left Real Madrid at the end of the European season, has been charged with taking Brazil through the latter stages of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The former AC Milan and Chelsea manager replaced Dorival Junior, who was sacked at the end of March after the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of reigning champions and bitter rivals Argentina.

Thursday's result leaves the Selecao in fourth place in the qualifying table on 22 points while their archrivals, Argentina, are the only team to have officially secured their place in the tournament, which will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Brazil's next opponents are third-placed Paraguay, who won 2–0 against Uruguay earlier to inch closer to qualification.

Meanwhile, Ecuador are also closer to qualifying, remaining in second place with 24 points. The top six teams qualify directly for next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. They play ninth-placed Peru on Tuesday.

 Brazil have recalled Santos forward Neymar for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina after more than a year, the soccer federation announced on Thursday.

The 33-year-old sustained a knee injury in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to get back to his best and secure a spot in the squad.

After a disappointing spell at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, Neymar returned to his boyhood club Santos in January, scoring three goals and providing three assists in seven matches which has caught the eye of Brazil coach Dorival Junior.

Neymar has 128 caps and a record 79 goals for his country, surpassing Pele's tally of 77.

He was part of Brazil's gold medal-winning squad at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and also helped them finish runners-up to Argentina at the 2021 Copa America.

Brazil, who are fifth in the CONMEBOL table with 18 points from 12 games, host Colombia on March 21 and visit Argentina five days later. The top six qualify directly for the World Cup.