FIFA World Cup: Swiss Fouls Take Their Toll on Brazil Star Neymar
Neymar will train normally with the rest of the group in the days leading up to the side's next match at FIFA World Cup, said the Brazil team management (Pic: IANS).
Brazil football team forward Neymar limped off a training session in Sochi after feeling pain in his right ankle. The Brazilian superstar, who was having difficulty kicking the ball, is expected to be fit for the side’s second match against Costa Rica on June 22.
Neymar limped off the “light” team training session on June 19, accompanied by Brazil physiotherapist Rodrigo Mazziotti. Brazil later issued a statement from team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar who confirmed the 26-year-old had pain in the right ankle caused by a foul in the 1-1 draw against Switzerland on June 17.
"What we can do is to calm down," Lasmar was quoted by ESPN. "A shorter workout was planned for the starters, they're still in a regenerative process. Neymar trained a little, felt the pain, returned to physical therapy and tomorrow trains normally."
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Neymar will train normally with the rest of the group in the days leading up to the next match, insisted the Brazilian team management.
What’s worrisome is that Neymar felt the pain in the same foot that was operated upon on March 3. Though he recovered in record time to make it to the World Cup, the match against Switzerland showed the star is not in full form, and was a tad slow on the ball.
The new injury seems to have nothing to do with the surgery though. It was caused by one of the many fouls he attracted while trying to wriggle past his Swiss markers, Lasmar said.
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Brazilian fans would be a worried lot as Neymar’s last World Cup ended with an injury -- he fractured his back during the quarterfinal victory against Colombia. Brazil progressed but played Germany in the semifinals without Neymar and lost 1-7, a defeat that hounds the current team as well as the fans.
At the moment, Brazil, after the opening draw, iis second in Group E behind Serbia, who defeated Costa Rica 1-0.
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