SEOUL —
Brazil superstar Neymar could miss
his side’s friendly match against South Korea on Thursday after injuring his
foot during training on the eve of the game.
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Neymar grabbed his right foot and fell to the turf
after colliding with a teammate during the session at Seoul World Cup Stadium
on Wednesday.
He was quickly attended to by a trainer and limped
off the field, but did not return.
During a pre-match press conference, team doctor Rodrigo
Lasmar said Neymar’s right foot had swollen and it was too early to determine
his status for Thursday’s match.
“We’ll have to keep an eye on his foot until
tomorrow morning,” the doctor said through an interpreter.
“Right now, it’s difficult to say with any certainty
whether he’ll be able to play. We’ll have to see tomorrow morning.”
Lasmar said
Neymar had been “traumatized” by a
history of right-foot injuries.
Neymar posted an
image of his bruised foot on Instagram, showing what appeared to be visible
swelling.
Even before this latest injury, Brazil coach Tite
was facing some tough selection calls.
While Neymar and most of the team arrived in South
Korea last week, six players from Real Madrid and Liverpool only landed
Tuesday, three days after their
Champions League final in Paris.
“Considering their physical condition and how far
they’ve traveled, it’s probably the right thing to do to play them in later
matches (instead of Thursday),” Tite told the press conference. “But everyone
is eager to play.”
Tite said South Korea, coached by Paulo Bento for
nearly four years, were “well prepared” ahead of the World Cup.
He singled out Captain Son Heung-min for praise,
after the Tottenham Hotspur man jointly won the Premier League Golden Boot
along with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
“Be it his technique, stamina or mental fortitude,
he is a perfect player,” Tite said. “It is not a coincidence that he won the
Golden Boot this year.”
Tite said he saw Thursday’s match as part of the
build-up for the
World Cup, and he would demand more than just a win from his
team.
“I want to see how our players perform in an away match and
establish a standard for ourselves,” Tite said.
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