Brazil will play either Belgium or Japan in the World Cup quarter finals, after claiming an impressive 2-0 victory over Mexico in Samara.
Mexico sprung a selection surprise by naming the ageing Rafa Marquez in the starting lineup, while Brazil also raised some eyebrows by persisting with Gabriel Jesus over Roberto Firmino.
Both sides showed positive attacking intent in the early stages, with Mexico showing they were not just going to sit back and defend.
With 25 minutes played, Neymar showed a flash of brilliance to carve out the game's first real chance, twisting and turning inside the penalty area before forcing an easy save from Guillermo Ochoa.
Mexico's bright start quickly stagnated, as Brazil started to assert their dominance and create some dangerous chances, but Ochoa and the Mexican defence looked equal to the task.
The contest began to get a little cagey, with Mexico surprising nobody by roughing up Neymar, while Brazil's Filipe Luis went into the book for a harsh challenge of his own.
At the half time break, the score remained 0-0 with neither side able to make the breakthrough. Brazil had forged the better chances of the sides, but had yet to craft one that really tested out Guillermo Ochoa in any serious way.
Mexico made their first change at the half time break, bringing on Miguel Layun for Rafa Marquez in a signal of their intent to attack.
It was Brazil though who looked the better side after the restart of play, and they finally found a goal after a sublime bit of play from Willian saw him tee the ball up for a simple Neymar tap in at the 51 minute mark.
Things nearly went from bad to worse for Mexico, as Ochoa was forced to make a brilliant save at full stretch after Paulinho was handed an excellent opportunity from close range.
Ochoa was then forced to make another brilliant save just after the hour mark to deny Willian, who was proving the most dangerous threat on the pitch by far.
With only two minutes of regulation to play, Brazil killed the game off for good with a stunning counter attack, with Neymar driving through a wide open Mexican defence before flicking the ball across to super sub Roberto Firmino who tapped the ball home with ease.
Mexico certainly looked up for the challenge at times, but ultimately their opponents were just too good for them, as Brazil booked their place in the quarter finals with an emphatic 2-0 win.
WORLD CUP - ROUND OF 16
Brazil - 2 (Neymar 51', Firmino 88')
Mexico - 0
Samara Arena, Samara
