Brazil’s Roberto Firmino celebrates with team mate Neymar, after scoring Brazil’s second goal against Croatia in a friendly match at Anfield, Liverpool. Photo: REUTERS

LIVERPOOL: Neymar scored on his return to action after three months out through injury as Brazil warmed up for the World Cup with a 2-0 friendly win over Croatia at Anfield on Sunday.

The most expensive player in the world has been sidelined since Feb. 25, when he fractured a metatarsal and sprained his ankle playing for Paris St Germain in a French league match against Olympique de Marseille.

The former Barcelona forward, key to his country’s hopes in Russia, came on as a halftime substitute and provided the moment of inspiration for win the game in the 69th minute.

Willian, impressive throughout for Brazil, picked the ball up in midfield and threaded the ball to Neymar in the inside-left channel. The 26-year-old cut inside and skipped past two defenders before blasting the ball home off the underside of the crossbar.

Neymar’s goal was his 54th for his country and he needs one to reach Romario as the third most prolific Brazil striker of all time behind Pele and Ronaldo.

Another substitute, Roberto Firmino, delighted the Liverpool fans in the Anfield crowd by adding the second in stoppage-time with a well-taken lob from inside the area.

Brazil’s opening game in World Cup Group E is against Switzerland and they also face Costa Rica and Serbia in the first round.

The five-times world champions have one more friendly before the tournament, against Austria in Vienna on June 10.

Austria’s Dominic Thiem (left) with Kei Nishikori after winning his fourth round match against Japanese in French Open in Sunday, 3 June, 2018. Photo: REUTERS

PARIS: Dominic Thiem ended Kei Nishikori’s comeback to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-2 6-0 5-7 6-4 victory on Sunday and set up a mouthwatering clash with second seed Alexander Zverev.

The Austrian seventh seed, the last man to beat claycourt machine Rafa Nadal on his favourite surface, displayed an impressive arsenal of weapons in the first two sets before regaining his composure after the loss of the third.

Japanese 19th seed Nishikori, on the comeback trail after he ended his 2017 season in mid-year because of injury, seemed to lose interest in the match in the second set but eventually managed to put up a decent fight.

“The first two sets were amazing but then he raised his level and it was 50-50. In the end it was very close and I was a bit nervous in the end as it is always hard to serve to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open,” said Thiem, a semi-finalist here in 2016 and 2017.

“I love these conditions; it was the first time for me on Court Philippe Chatrier not playing against Rafa so I could enjoy the court”, he joked.

Thiem had too much power and speed for Nishikori, who was overwhelmed in the opening set, which the Austrian bagged with an ace in under half an hour.

It got even worse for Nishikori in the second set as Thiem toyed with him, notably with a stunning drop-shot service return, and the Japanese could manage only nine points in the set.

In the first two sets, the Austrian won 25 of 25 points on his first serve.

In the third set, however, Nishikori stayed in touch as he served better and finished off points at the net, which unsettled Thiem who grew frustrated.

Nishikori seized his first break opportunity at 6-5 to take the set when Thiem’s forehand flew long.

The Austrian, who ended 10-times French Open champion Nadal’s streak of 50 consecutive sets won on clay in Madrid, broke decisively for 4-3 in the fourth set with a trademark forehand winner.

He then held serve throughout to wrap it up on his second match point when Nishikori sent a forehand long under the eyes of Nadal.

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva reacts during her fourth round match against Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova in French Open on Sunday, 3 June, 2018. Photo: REUTERS

PARIS: Kazakh youngster Yulia Putintseva continued her impressive run at the French Open as she beat 26th seed Czech Barbora Strycova 6-4 6-3 in the fourth round on Sunday.

World number 98 Putintseva showed off her wide range of shot-making skills to break Strycova twice in the early exchanges before serving out the opening set in 52 minutes.

Strycova, who was making her first fourth-round appearance in Paris, struggled to find her rhythm and continued to spray the court with unforced errors as Putintseva raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set.

The 23-year-old dropped her serve in the next game but did enough to see off a late challenge from Strycova and wrap up the victory on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

Putintseva, who also defeated British number one Johanna Konta in the opening round, has matched her best performance at Roland Garros by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016.

“Today I was very tough mentally,” she said after the match.

“It was a fourth-round match and everyone is play good now. You just have to fight for every point.”

Up next for Putintseva is US Open runner-up and 13th seed Madison Keys, who is yet to drop a single set over four matches in the tournament.

Madison Keys of the U.S. celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu in French Open on Sunday, 3 June, 2018. Photo: REUTERS

PARIS: American Madison Keys blazed into the French Open quarter-finals for the first time in her career with a 6-1 6-4 defeat of Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu on Sunday.

The 13th seed admitted in the build-up that she had never watched Buzarnescu in action but quickly got to grips with the unheralded 30-year-old who was playing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Striking the ball cleanly and powerfully in perfect conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier, the big-serving Keys bagged the opener in the blink of an eye against an overpowered opponent offering little resistance.

It was pretty much the same story in the second set before Buzarnescu’s late resurgence which caused some anxiety in the Keys camp. The Romanian clawed back from 1-5 to 4-5 but Keys shut down the mini revival to serve for victory.

The 23-year-old Keys will now be eyeing a semi-final spot, with Czech 26th seed Barbora Strycova or unseeded Kazakh Yulia Putintseva waiting in the quarter-finals.