Neymar complains of sore ankle, leaves practice

The target of a number of fouls in the match against Switzerland, Brazil forward Neymar complained about a sore ankle and is being taken care of by the physical therapists in the Brazilian team. The athlete took part in the warming up with his colleagues Tuesday morning (Jun. 19), but was subsequently sent to physical therapy.

According to the Brazilian Football Confederation, Neymar is to do separate work on Wednesday, but should join the squad in the afternoon.

In March this year, Neymar underwent surgery on the fifth metatarsal in his right foot after an injury sustained in the French tournament, playing for Paris Saint-Germain. The clash with Switzerland was his third after nearly three months of treatment.

Coach Tite resumed the training session, held in preparation for Costa Rica, to face Brazil in the second round of Group E in the World Cup next Friday (22). The players who started the game against Switzerland continued their recovery activities. The substitutes, in turn, went to the main field at the training center in Sochi to work on finishes and on improving kicking precision.

After the session, player Philippe Coutinho attended a press conference and talked about the next challenge facing the seleção. “It’s going to be an important game. We wanted a victory in the first match, but it didn’t happen. Now we’re given another chance,” he stated.

The Brazilian squad, he said, need to be focused during the whole 90 minutes. “We have to keep our minds strong, focused, in order to have a great game on Friday. It’s going to be tough, as all World Cup matches are. We have to be on the alert,” he said.

The Brazilian squad will have another day of practice in Sochi before heading for St. Petersburg, where the fixture with Costa Rica is slated to take place.