In the 27th minute of the second half, the Brazilian fans at the Hard Rock Stadium stood up and cheered. It wasn’t a goal, but for them, it was close.
The celebration was to see Carlo Ancelotti call Neymar to talk to the side of the pitch. The Italian gave guidance to the star before promoting his World Cup debut.
At 31 minutes, he finally stepped onto the field for the first time. Matheus Cunha was the one who ended up being replaced.
Almost a thousand days after the injury that opened one of the most uncertain periods of his career, Neymar returned to defend the Brazilian team this Wednesday (24).
Called up under questions due to his physical condition, the number 10 started the match against Scotland among the reserves, as a symbol of his new phase in the Canarian team.
After posing for the official photo and singing the national anthem with the squad, he sat on the bench and watched his teammates build the impressive 3-0 victory over Scotland, essential to securing the lead in Group C.
Neymar cheered with each move, but also looked apprehensive, waiting for a chance to enter the game.
The fans tried to raise awareness of Carlo Ancelotti. From six minutes into the second half, Brazilians in the stadium began to sing: “Olê, olê, olê, olê, Neymar, Neymar.” In the stands, some fans were also seen wearing masks with the star’s face.
Of the 64,478 present, the vast majority wore yellow shirts. The greatest concentration of Scots was behind the goal saved by Alisson in the second half.
After Brazil’s third goal, scored by Matheus Cunha, the chorus became even more strident. Ancelotti, however, preferred to give opportunities to Fabinho and Gabriel Martinelli first.
Meanwhile, between one move and another, a movie may have played in Neymar’s head, with the drama he has experienced since October 17, 2023, when he suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee against Uruguay, in the World Cup qualifiers.
The recovery period left him almost a year away from the field, even when he was an athlete for Al Hilal, in Saudi Arabia, for which he almost did not play due to his physical problem.
Back in Brazilian football since January last year, when he returned to Santos, where he was revealed, the player suffered from successive physical setbacks that prevented him from returning to defend the national team, which only occurred this Wednesday, 981 days after the injury in October 2023.
From the end of Ancelotti’s suspense until the coach announced his squad list for the World Cup, revealed on May 18, the doubt hovered over the Brazilian team as to when Neymar would, in fact, be on the field again for the team, as he presented himself with an injury to his right calf.
Missing in the games against Morocco in the debut and Haiti, in the second round, he was only able to be an option for the coach from the last game in the group stage onwards.
His participation in his debut in this World Cup was quite discreet. While he was on the field, he didn’t have any clear chance of scoring nor did he participate in plays with real chances of scoring.
