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Brazil manager Tite emphatically claimed that Neymar Jr. will not be sidelined from the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of his injury against Serbia on November 24.
The Selecao Canarinha were in fine form as they emphatically beat the Serbians 2-0 in their opening group-stage encounter. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger was electric down the left flank.
He provided the pass for Vinicius Junior's 62nd-minute shot, which directly resulted in Richarlison's opening goal of the game. Earlier in the 13th minute - intentionally or not - he almost scored an Olympic goal, but goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was aware of the danger.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker scored 11 minutes later with a sumptuous overhead kick to seal the three points. Neymar was withdrawn 10 minutes from time and made way for Manchester United's Antony.
He was spotted getting treatment on the bench from the medical staff with his face hidden in his shirt.
His right ankle was visibly swollen, and it was confirmed after the game that the former Barcelona forward had rolled his ankle during the course of the match.
As per GOAL, the medical staff will require up to 48 hours to give a final verdict on his injury. But Tite came out after the full-time whistle to assuage the fears of Brazil fans, and said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"Don’t worry, Neymar will play the World Cup. He will keep playing, you can be sure about that."
He was tackled nine times in the match against Serbia - four more than any other player so far in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The injury scare would naturally remind fans of Neymar's horror injury during his team's 2014 World Cup quarterfinal win against Colombia. He missed Brazil's horror 7-1 semi-final loss against Germany as a result of a fractured vertebra.
Neymar sends message to Brazil teammates after win vs Serbia
Neymar took to social media to congratulate his teammates after their dominant win against the Western Balkan nation.
He tweeted:
"Tough game, but it was important to win. Congratulations team, first step taken… 6 💙💚💛 [Brazil flag]"
The '6' in his tweet would perhaps be a reference to the aim of his country in Qatar - to win the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time. Brazil last lifted the trophy 20 years ago in South Korea. They have yet to make the final of the competition since then.
