Brazil suffered their second consecutive defeat in the qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the South American zone, falling 2-0 to Uruguay on October 18, last year. Brazil arrived to face Uruguay after the team had been held to a 2-2 home draw against Venezuela in September, but Brazil had previously beaten both Bolivia and Peru.
Brazil lost their other important man Neymar, the star forward was carried off in first-half stoppage time in Montevideo. By then, Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez had Uruguay in the lead. Neymar had an altercation with Uruguay’s Nicolas de la Cruz and appeared uncomfortable, he hobbled off the pitch crying after he was given treatment on the pitch.
The first predictions were further deteriorated as Neymar was discharged with a serious ligament injury that affected his left knee. This made him unavailable for the remainder of the season in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal and the 2024 Copa America in United States.
What went wrong with Neymar in the game against Uruguay?
The incident took place at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier between Uruguay and Brazil when Neymar clashed with River Plate midfielder Nicolas de la Cruz. There was no foul, but Neymar seemed to twist his knee as he tried to stay on his feet. The former PSG star signed with his hands to the Brazil bench for assistance and was crying out in dolor.
After Neymar's lengthy spell on the Anthony Taylor-controlled-measurement-television-set device, play resumed and eventually, Neymar left the stadium on a stretcher with his lower half in boots and crutches. In a post-match report from Reuters news agency, Brazil FA sources said Neymar had sprained ligaments in his left knee and further tests will be carried out to confirm whether the ligaments have been damaged.
Brazil captain Casemiro also regretted the development, adding that this was Neymar’s fourth such incident at the World Cup. “He’s a valuable asset to the team I play for,” was the verdict of the Manchester United midfielder. “He got injured a lot of times and then just as he begins to gain some form, he gets injured again.”
When Is Neymar Returning?
The club needed confirmation from Al Hilal that Neymar would be out of action for quite some time after suffering a knee injury in his left knee and later confirming he had torn his ACL and meniscus. Since Neymar last took part in a competitive match, it has been almost one year; Al Hilal won the rest of the Saudi Pro League season and the 2024 Copa America inter-confederation playoffs.
But Neymar is about to return to football. At the beginning of October, he posted an Instagram photo of himself back in training, captioning it: I need to be in the group, it is a great happiness to be now with them.
Neymar missed Al Hilal’s match that was played against Al Ahli on October 2 and may probably make a comeback in a match against Al Feiha on October 13 provided that he recovers as expected.
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