In a multidimensional performance showing all the light and dark of the game, Neymar, 26, was the hero, the villain, the most graceful player in the stadium and, for many, the most vexing.

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“I think we controlled the game, mostly,” said Osorio, who repeatedly criticized Neymar, without calling him out by name, for what he perceived to be an unacceptable amount of playacting in the second half: “I think this is a very negative example for the world and the world of football and all the children following this game.”

Heading into the tournament, Mexico had invested in their mental well-being. They hired a psychologist to bring a level of lucidity to the players’ collective mental state. The players and fans rallied around the phrase “imaginemos cosas chingonas” (a distinctly Mexican sentence that translates roughly to “Let’s imagine amazing things”) uttered by striker Javier Hernández in a fit of passion before the tournament.

A thrilling 1-0 win over Germany, the defending champions, helped the team start the tournament on a euphoric note.

But Brazil, with its overflowing talent, was a challenge too difficult to overcome.

“We’re sad, disappointed, obviously, with a dream that has ended,” Hernández said after the game. “It hurts.”