QUATAR: After Brazil's Neymar hobbled off the field after their 2-0 victory over Serbia in their FIFA World Cup opening, concerns have been raised about his physical condition. The Brazilian attacker appeared to be in pain as ice was applied to his injured ankle after receiving a blow to it.
In the post-game press conference, manager Tite was joined by the team doctor for Brazil, Rodrigo Lasmar, who said that star player Neymar would undergo a scan after suffering an ankle injury.
"Neymar sustained a direct trauma injury to his right ankle. We quickly began the therapy on the bench due to the shock he experienced when he saw the Serbian player's knee. He resumed receiving physiotherapy as part of his recovery "said Lasmar in a statement citing media report.
"For the MRI to give us a clearer idea, we need 24-48 hours. We shall get a fresh evaluation tomorrow. We must now wait before commenting on his evolution because doing so would be premature. We must wait. After becoming hurt, he continued playing for another 11 minutes until being forced to leave the field " he said.
"Neymar experienced this discomfort the entire game. However, he made the decision to continue playing for the team. It's amazing he could endure this discomfort while the team was playing, "Tite, the Brazil manager, said.
The five-time World Cup champions won easily thanks to Richarlison's second-half double, but Neymar's injured substitute with 10 minutes left marred the triumph. After being tackled by Nikola Milenkovic, Neymar suffered an ankle problem and played for 10 minutes until losing control of the ball and needing to be replaced by Antony. The 30-year-old Brazilian appeared to be in pain and had ice taped to the injured area. Several Selecao bench players made an effort to calm him down.
In the game, Richarlison scored twice in a span of nine minutes as Brazil defeated Serbia in the second half to win 2-0 at the Lusail Stadium in Group G of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.
Brazil, a five-time champion, made a grand entrance by defeating Serbia and taking first place in Group G. The top-ranked team was kept at bay by the European team for more than an hour, but Richarlison of Tottenham gave Brazil the lead with a close-range finish after Vanja Milinkovic-Savic diverted Vinicius Junior's shot in his direction. For an hour, Serbia made it difficult. When the game was over, it was impossible to remember how ruthlessly Brazil had destroyed their opponents.
FIFA WC:Japan stun four-time champion Germany in second shock
Five Different Hairstyles and Career highlights of Neymar Jr.