Brazil has received positive news regarding Neymar’s recovery from an ankle injury as the team prepares to enter the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this week.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker could be on the bench for the Selecao’s round of 16 clash, reports UOL. The five-time world champions won Group G and will now take on South Korea, who finished second in Group H, on December 5.
The 30-year-old suffered an injury in Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup opener against Serbia. Since then, doubts about his fitness for the rest of the tournament have crept in. Because of the injury, some feared the PSG star would miss the entire FIFA World Cup. He did not play in his team’s 1-0 victory over Switzerland.
Those concerns appear to have been allayed, as Neymar is expected to return to training on Saturday, December 3. Prior to the World Cup, he was in excellent form, having scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists in 20 appearances across competitions.
Tite’s team is one of the favourites to win the tournament in Qatar, thanks in part to Neymar’s form. However, Cameroon’s 20-year wait for a World Cup victory ended on Friday with a late goal by skipper Vincent Aboubakar as the Indomitable Lions bowed out in style, defeating a much-changed Brazil 1-0 at the Lusail Stadium. Notably, Aboubakar was sent off after a second booking for taking off his shirt during his celebration.
Cameroon’s victory was their first against Brazil in the World Cup, and it was the South American giants’ first defeat by African opposition in the tournament. Despite a 1-0 win over Brazil’s reserves on Friday, the African side were unable to advance to the round of 16. However, it was the five-time champions’ first group-stage defeat in 24 years.
