Tearful Neymar carried off with lower leg injury

Neymar was reduced to tears after suffering an apparent lower leg injury during Brazil's friendly with Qatar.

Neymar was carried away in tears after appearing to suffer a lower leg injury in a major scare for Brazil ahead of the Copa America.

A tearful Neymar looked in agony as he received treatment in the dugout following Brazil's opening goal against Qatar on Wednesday. Neymar, who recovered from a knee injury leading into the international friendly, was then substituted in the 21st minute and carried down the tunnel.

Brazil will be sweating on Neymar's fitness, with the Selecao set to face Honduras on Sunday before opening the Copa America against Bolivia on June 14, followed by Group A matches against Venezuela (June 18) and Peru (June 22).

Rape allegation

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, 27, was braced for the toughest match of his career amid a rape allegation. A Sao Paulo state official confirmed to Omnisport on Saturday that a charge has been brought against the PSG forward following an incident in the French capital on May 15.

Neymar vehemently denies the accusation and posted an Instagram video on Sunday, in which he claimed the allegations are an attempt to "extort" him. He is now facing a police investigation in Brazil after publishing intimate pictures of the alleged victim within the social media video.

Read | Neymar could skip Copa America, says CBF vice-president

"I just wanna thank God, my family, my friends and all those who sent me positive messages, so that I could keep focused and calm," Neymar wrote in an Instagram post prior to the match.

"I've never felt so LOVED by you, THANK YOU. Today I have one of the toughest matches of my career, perhaps the toughest one [because of the circumstances]. 'THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH'."