When it rains, it pours
Neymar was spotted leaving the pitch in tears as he was stretchered off with a suspected injury during Brazil’s game against Uruguay on Tuesday.
There were doubts over whether the 31-year-old would even feature before kick off following reports that he was refusing to travel after he was hit in the back of the head with a bag of popcorn by a supporting shortly after Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela last week.
The forward tripped and fell as he battled for possession with Nicolas de la Cruz on the stroke of half time.
As he went in for the tackle, his knee appeared to buckle and he promptly fell to the ground, leaving him in severe discomfort.
Players from both teams quickly surrounded the Al Hilal talisman, who audibly screamed in pain. He was then carried off on a stretcher, holding his hands over his face.
Brazil’s doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told reporters it was too early to determine the severity of Neymar’s injury, who left the stadium on crutches.
Neymar stretchered off in tears after an injury nearing halftime of Uruguay-Brazil.
— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) October 18, 2023
This was the play that took Neymar out.
He was later seen hobbling to the locker room helped by someone. pic.twitter.com/iHmSHR4gUb
“We did all the tests and we will repeat them tomorrow. Those 24 hours are key to see how his knee will respond, how swollen it will be and what images will show,” he said.
“Let’s wait for the exams with calmness, evaluate with calmness and tell you once we have a diagnosis.”
If his injury is as bad as first feared it could result in a long spell on the sidelines for the 31-year-old. If scans come back showing signs of major ligament damage then Neymar may face a race to be fit in time for the Copa America, which takes place in the USA from June 20 until July 14.
Uruguay ran out 2-0 winners on the night, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez opening the scoring before Nicolas de la Cruz doubled the lead 13 minutes from time.
Brazil are now third in the CONMEBOL standings and face Colombia and World Cup holders Argentina next month.
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