FIFA World Cup: Brazil expect Neymar to carry on despite ankle injury

Brazilian strikerNeymarshould be fine to continue in the World Cup despite limping off with a swollen ankle during his team's 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday (November 24), coach Tite said. "You can be certainNeymaris going to play at the Cup. I am absolutely certain of this," Tite told reporters, confessing that he was initially unaware of his striker's injury. "I didn't seeNeymarwas hurt. And he had the capacity to overcome this, he even tricked me."

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Brazil would wait 24-48 hours before assessingNeymar's injury. The Paris St Germain striker, the most expensive player in the world following his record 222 million-euro ($231 million) transfer from Barcelona, played a pivotal role in Brazil's win in their first game in Group G in Qatar.

He wriggled into the box to pass to Vinicius Jr. to set up Richarlison for Brazil's opening goal in the second half. Later, however, he appeared to be in tears as he left the pitch with a visibly swollen ankle. That was reminiscent of the back injury which putNeymarout of the World Cup on home soil in 2014.

Match-winner Richarlison scored a spectacular swiveling overhead volley for Brazil's second goal. "As our professor, Tite has said 'you are smelling goals'!" he told reporters. Serbian coach, Dragan Stojkovic, said team was on the same level as Brazil for the first 45 minutes. "What was for us surprising in the second half was we literally fell physically and we were no longer a team," he explained.