Neymar leaves Brazil match with left knee injury،
Neymar was in tears when he left the field with a knee injury late in the first half of Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay on Tuesday, and was later seen leaving the stadium on crutches.
The 31-year-old striker tripped and fell during a run in the 44th minute at Centenario Stadium and was immediately surrounded by players from both teams as he held his left knee.
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Neymar was carried off on a stretcher while holding his hands in front of his face, while teammate Richarlison came in to replace him.
Brazil’s medical team had no immediate update on Neymar’s condition at halftime, but team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said after the match that the star player had already undergone tests and that others would be carried out on Wednesday.
“Those 24 hours will be important to see how the knee will react, how the swelling will be,” Lasmar said. “Imaging tests that will define a definitive diagnosis. It is too early to say [if it’s a ligament injury]. Let’s calmly wait for the exams, calmly evaluate, and as soon as we have a definition we will let you know.”
Neymar did not speak to journalists in Montevideo. After leaving the stadium, he posted on Instagram that “God knows everything.”
“All the honor and all the glory will always be yours, my Lord. No matter what, I have faith,” he said in his message.
Darwin Nunez scored the opener for Uruguay and Nicolás de la Cruz scored the second for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in a match that saw Brazil drop points for the second game in a row. He suffered his first defeat in 37 World Cup qualifying matches.
Neymar, who plays for Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League, was criticized by fans ahead of World Cup qualifying due to his poor performance in Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Venezuela.
“Let’s hope there’s nothing serious,” Brazilian captain Casemiro told Globo television. “He’s an important player for us, we like him a lot. He suffers a lot from injuries and when he starts to accelerate he gets injured again.”
Neymar made his national team debut in 2010 and has 79 goals in 128 appearances for Brazil, but has struggled with injuries for club and country in recent years. He missed several months in each of the last two seasons with various ankle injuries and missed two World Cup matches in Qatar after losing in Brazil’s opener against Serbia.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this story.
