Bullet point summary by AI
- Brazil faces Haiti in their second World Cup match after a lackluster draw against Morocco in their opener.
- The team remains without their star striker, who is still recovering from a calf injury sustained during club play.
- Manager Carlo Ancelotti kept the injured player on the roster, hoping for his return in the final group stage match against Scotland.
Brazil are set for their second match at the World Cup, this time against Haiti. It’s an opportunity to bounce back from what was an uninspiring performance in a draw against Morocco in their opening match. Neymar wasn’t available for that match, but with a week longer to recover, could he take the pitch on Friday night?
Well, the unfortunate answer there is no. The Brazilian Football Federation confirmed as much this week.
Neymar injury update: Brazil striker to miss second World Cup game
Neymar suffered a calf injury while playing club ball with Santos. The optimistic recovery time for that injury was two or three weeks from May 28. It’s been three weeks, but he’s still not ready to roll.
However, there are positive signs as he returned to training on Wednesday. It’s just too soon to trot him out for a game.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to keep Neymar on Brazil’s World Cup roster rather than replace him with a healthy player. He’s taking the long view, which seems fair since Brazil expects to make it into the knockout rounds and advance deep into the tournament.
With Neymar back in training, there may be a chance we see him in Brazil’s final group stage match against Scotland on June 24.
The question is how much of an impact Neymar will be able to have. He’s not in form at the club level, and he hasn’t played at the world-class level he was renowned for since a devastating knee injury in 2023.
Still, Neymar is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer and his presence alone could be a boost to his country. They could have used it in the opener against Morocco, which ended 1-0. While Vinicius Jr. was as advertised, the Brazilian side lacked a certain amount of spark.
Then again, the fact that Neymar might have made a difference at this stage in his career is not a great sign for Brazil. The 34-year-old is past his prime, and his country hasn’t effectively replaced him.
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