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Brazil managed to break through against Serbia to open their 2022 World Cup campaign with a win – but it wasn't without casualty. Superstar striker Neymar suffered an ankle injury that's expected to keep him on the sidelines.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg on Brazil's medical diagnosis, the severity of Neymar's injury has caused “direct trauma” to his ankle which will force him to miss the rest of the group stages. An outmatched Serbian side tried to use its physicality in order to level the playing field, which led to several collisions and eventually the ankle injury.
“Neymar was subbed off in the 80th minute after he was fouled nine times. He was seen on the bench in the final moments of the win in tears as it appeared he immediately understood the severity of his ankle injury.
After the game, Brazil’s team doctor said that Neymar had suffered a “direct trauma” to his ankle.”
Despite losing Neymar for at least the next two games, Brazil is still considered the favorite against the other two members of Group G in Switzerland and Cameroon. The former also tallied three points to tie Brazil atop the group.
The Brazilians could potentially lean on experienced Premier League striker Gabriel Jesus to fill in the hole left by Neymar for the time being. He was inserted late in their 2-0 win against Serbia and is likely ready to take up a greater load of minutes on the field.
Barring a couple of stunning results in the next two games, it's safe to say we haven't seen the last of Neymar in this tournament as long as his ankle injury heals at the pace they're hoping.
