The Serbs couldn’t match Brazil in terms of technique, speed and efficiency on Thursday night, but they were determined not to let Neymar score against them. In the end, Neymar didn’t score – but he did pick up a badly swollen ankle whilst trying to get past the Serbian defenders. Even though the nation celebrated their beloved Selecao’s first victory, there will be some nervous days worrying about their talisman’s fitness.Neymar’s ankle after Brazil’s FIFA World Cup opener 😳 pic.twitter.com/BK6rZIdRaP— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2022 The number 10 went to a scan early on Friday, but there was no official news from the Brazilian camp. However, according to various sources close to L’Equipe, it’s now very likely that the Paris Saint-Germain ace will miss their second Group G match against Switzerland on Monday evening.The eyes and ears of around 200 million fans in Brazil will be focused on Neymar’s right ankle, which had a notable swelling due to a rough challenge by Serbia defender Nikola Milenkovic during Brazil’s 2-0 win. Even though the team’s doctors initially said they would wait 24 hours before the scan, they decided to have the scan as soon as possible to discover whether their classy playmaker would be available for the remainder of the World Cup. He was taken to the hospital just after breakfast and returned to the team hotel with the national team’s physios.##NAJAVA_MECA_6843418##As things stand, the 30-year-old trickster is closer to missing the Switzerland match than playing. Thankfully, the tournament is not over for the former Barcelona and Santos wonderkid. Meanwhile, right-back Danilo also sustained a sprained ankle late in Thursday’s match and hasn’t trained on Friday. His condition will also be monitored closely by the medical staff.The Brazilians will continue to dance their samba and delight the fans. It would be a shame for Neymar to miss the tournament – because he’s still in a class of his own. We don’t need a sad samba – at least not yet.
