Despite an ankle injury, Brazil manager Tite stated star forward Neymar will push through the pain barrier to compete in the FIFA World Cup.
The 30-year-old received the injury in the second half of Brazil’s 2-0 Group G victory against Serbia on Friday and remained on the field for many minutes before being replaced by Manchester United striker Antony. He was afterward observed in tears while sitting on the bench, his right ankle swollen. You can be certain that Neymar will participate in the World Cup, Tite said at a post-match press conference, according to Xinhua.
Neymar was hurt during the match against Serbia
I didn’t see Neymar was hurt. I just saw it later in the video (replay). He was able to play through the agony,” he continued. The extent of the damage, according to Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, will be revealed in 24-48 hours. “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow (Friday) to make a full assessment,” Lasmar said. He also stated that medical personnel was keeping an eye on right-back Danilo’s ankle injury sustained during the match at Lusail Stadium.
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Meanwhile, Serbia manager Dragan Stojkovic blamed critical player injuries for his team’s dismal second-half performance against Brazil. Brazil striker Richarlison scored twice in 11 minutes after an equal first half to give the South American team a perfect start to the tournament in Group G.
Neymar to play in FIFA World Cup despite injury
I think we were on an equal level in the first 45 minutes, Stojkovic said after the game. “I didn’t notice them being much more dominant at that point. But in the second half, we were physically at a lower level, which Brazil exploited because they have excellent players, and they punished us.” Stojkovic stated that his team had been hampered by injuries to Filip Kostic (thigh), Dusan Vlahovic (groin), and Aleksandar Mitrovic (ankle) before the start of the World Cup.
Serbia’s final 26-man roster contained all three, but only Mitrovic played on Thursday. Those wounds are too severe for us. We are not Brazil, with a population of 200 million people. We are a small country Stojkovic explained. That is a proven fact. I’m terribly sad for their misfortune because they were wounded soon before the World Cup.
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He vowed his players will recover in time for the next encounter against Cameroon on Monday, which Serbia must win to advance to the round of 16. You’ll see a different team from the one you saw tonight in the next encounter, he remarked. “Brazil is the best team in the world. There is no question about that. Brazil is considered one of the favorites to win.
It was a well-deserved victory for Brazil. We’re hoping to turn the page against Cameroon with healthy players,” he continued.