Brazilian team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed both players will miss the team’s

next match against Switzerland on Monday, but remained hopeful they would play

again in the tournament.

“We thought it was important to do an image exam, an MRI so that we had more data

on the evolution of the two players,” Lasmar said.

“The scans showed a lateral ligament injury to Neymar’s right ankle along with a

small bone swelling. And a medial ligament injury to Danilo’s left ankle.

“Players remain in treatment. It is very important for us to be very calm, peaceful,

this assessment will be carried out daily so that we have information and make the

best decisions based on that.

“We can already say that we will not have the two players for our next game, but they

remain in treatment with our objective of trying to recover in time for this

competition.”

Neymar sprained his right ankle in his side’s opening World Cup match – a 2-0 win

over Serbia – on Thursday, Lasmar had already confirmed last night in a post-game

press conference.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward was substituted with 10 minutes remaining after

going down under a challenge, and Neymar looked emotional once he got to the

bench, sitting down and covering his face with his shirt.

“Today has become one of the hardest moments in my career… and again in a World

Cup,” Neymar, who was injured for Brazil’s World Cup semifinal in 2014, wrote on

Instagram on Friday.

“I have an injury, yes, it’s bad, it’s going to hurt, but I’m sure I’ll have the chance to

come back because I’ll do my best to help my country, my teammates and myself.

“A long time waiting for the enemy to knock me down like this? NEVER!”

Cameras caught the 30-year-old Neymar looking down at his ankle, which appeared

to be very swollen as he made his way off the pitch.

It will no doubt be a huge concern to Brazil – and football fans around the world –

whose chances of success would decrease considerably without its star man.

Before he departed injured, Neymar had already displayed his class, creating Brazil’s

first goal when he danced through the Serbia defense to set up a chance for Vinícius

Jr., whose shot was saved and fell to Tottenham’s Richarlison to finish for the first of

his two on the night.

Brazil began this World Cup as the favorite to win its first World Cup since 2002, with

a 20% chance of winning the tournament according to Nielsen’s Gracenote, after

losing just three times in 50 matches since it was eliminated from the 2018 World

Cup by Belgium.

Neymar will face a race to be back to full fitness by the time Brazil plays Switzerland

in its next Group G match on November 28.

Neymar suffers ligament injury to right ankle and will miss next game