Brazil superstar Neymar chose to congratulate his teammates on their World Cup victory over Serbia despite having been struck down with what looked to be a painful injury.
The Selecao opened up their Group G campaign in style on Thursday evening with a 2-0 victory over the European side. It looked as though they would be left frustrated but two goals from Tottenham striker Richarlison - including an eye-catching bicycle kick - ensured it would be a perfect start in Qatar.
Despite that, there were worrying scenes as star forward Neymar was withdrawn in the 80th minute of the clash following a heavy collision with Nikola Milenkovic. The Paris Saint-Germain man was then pictured in tears on the bench, whilst images of his swollen ankle began to circulate on social media after the game.
Neymar very quickly hopped on social media and gave the plaudits to his teammates. Writing on Twitter, he said: “Tough game, but it was important to win. Congratulations team, first step taken…6 [more wins needed].”
Despite the lack of a specific update, Brazil boss Tite has already allayed fears over his forward’s fitness. “Don’t worry, Neymar will play in the World Cup,” he said. “He will keep playing, you can be sure about that.”
Tite continued: "I didn't see Neymar was injured - the capacity he has to overcome it tricked even me.”
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Regardless, the 30-year-old is set to undergo further testing to identify if there is a specific problem, as confirmed by Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. He said: “Neymar had a sprain in his right ankle, a direct trauma when his opponent’s knee made a movement causing the sprain.
“He had a little swelling in his ankle, we started the treatment with ice on the bench and he has now followed the physiotherapy treatment. There is no scheduled imaging exam. If there is a need, we will.
“But that will be decided by the measure of his evaluation tomorrow. The expectation is observation. Anything we talk about evolution, his sequel, is premature. We do not have any answers, it is important to wait.”
Any serious problem would be a huge blow to the former Barcelona star having seen his 2014 campaign in his home country cut cruelly short having suffered from a fractured vertebrae in the quarter-final against Colombia. Brazil were certainly hampered by his absence having been torn apart 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals.
The Selecao will be aiming to continue their perfect start to the latest tournament as they come up against Switzerland before then rounding off their group stage fixtures against Cameroon.
Neymar could potentially move further towards being Brazil’s all-time appearance maker should he play in both games. He is currently 19 appearances behind current record holder Cafu.
