Despite an emphatic victory in its opening World Cup game against Serbia, Brazil was left to worry about the fitness of Neymar, who was substituted with 11 minutes left to play.
Though coach Tite allayed fears of the attacker missing out the next game against Switzerland on November 28, the team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar was a little less committal.
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“Neymar had a hit on the right ankle, it was a direct trauma, and we immediately started treatment when he was on bench. We must wait for 24-48 hours to have better assessment, but we have not scheduled an MRI and can’t make any premature comment,” Lasmar said.
The Paris Saint-Germain frontman continued playing despite sustaining the knock around the 68th minute and was involved in the build-up play of Richarlison’s wonder strike. But he left the pitch in tears with a visibly swollen ankle.
Star Brazilian player Neymar receives medical attention after sustaining an injury against Serbia as Thiago Silva looks on. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
“He felt this pain during the game, but chose to stay on the pitch to help his team, which is remarkable. We are confident he will continue playing this World Cup, Tite said. “I didn’t see that he was injured during the game and found out only when I saw it in the video, he tricked me, too, in a bid to stay on.”
Richarlison, the man of the moment, too, fretted over Neymar’s fitness. “It seems Nay has hurt his ankle. I saw him before going for dope test and told them to put a lot of ice. It’s 100 percent important for us that he recovers before the next game,” the double goal scorer said.
