Injury drama for superstar
His injured knee causes Neymar to burst into tears
October 18, 2023, 8:42 a.m
Brazil fails in World Cup qualification. They cannot win two games in a row. But that is not the Seleção’s biggest concern. Superstar Neymar injured his left knee shortly before half-time. Nobody knows how serious the injury is. First Neymar cries, then he prays to God.
Setback for Brazil in the World Cup qualification and worries about superstar Neymar: After the 1-1 draw against Venezuela, the Seleção remained unsuccessful in the second game in a row and, in addition to the first defeat, also had to cope with an injury to Neymar. Shortly after conceding the first goal, the superstar injured his left knee in the 0-2 (0-1) draw against Uruguay on Tuesday evening (local time) before half-time.
When he was driven off the pitch, the 31-year-old hid his face under both hands and later left the stadium in Montevideo on crutches. There was no diagnosis for the professional who plays for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. “We have done all the tests and will repeat them tomorrow. These 24 hours are crucial to see how his knee reacts, how swollen it is and what the pictures show,” said Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. It is too early to determine the severity of the injury.
Neymar remained silent as he left the stadium, but spoke up on Instagram a short time later. “God knows everything,” he wrote: “All the honor and all the glory will always be yours, sir. No matter what happens, I have faith.” Brazil captain Casemiro said on Globo TV: “Hopefully it’s not a bad injury. He’s an important player for us. He struggles a lot with injuries. Then when he comes back and plays again, he’ll get injured again.”
Lionel Messi scores twice
Neymar has already played 128 games since making his debut for Brazil in 2010, scoring 79 goals. But in recent years he has repeatedly struggled with injuries. Numerous ankle injuries limited his time on the pitch over the last two seasons, and he also missed two games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after an injury in the opening game against Serbia. His absence from the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in his own country will also not be forgotten. After suffering a back injury, the superstar on whom the hopes of an entire country rested missed the game against Germany. The hosts went down 7-1 in a historic game.
In the qualification table for the 2026 World Cup, Uruguay’s victory moved past Brazil into second place. The goals were scored by Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez (42nd) and midfielder Nicolás de la Cruz (77th), who is under contract with River Plate in Argentina.
Behind Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela follow in third and fourth place with seven points after a 3-0 win against Chile. Argentina continues to be at the top. In the 2-0 win against Peru, Messi scored both goals (32nd/42nd minute) and played through after he was last missing for his club Inter Miami and only came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win against Paraguay on Thursday.