Brazilian superstar was brought down 10 times in the game against Switzerland. He became the player to receive the most number of fouls in a world cup match since 1998, as he failed to impress the critics with his selfish style of play.
Strong favourites of the FIFA World Cup 2018, Brazil kicked of their World Cup Campaign playing against Switzerland and manage to secure just a single point after they played a draw in an exciting match. Brazil was expecting to start their tournament triumph with a win, but the opposite side was able to hold them and their star showman Neymar Jr.
Neymar, world’s most expensive player, joined training sessions just days before the world cup as he suffered a horrifically broken metatarsal and a sprained ankle during his French Ligue 1 campaign. Neymar was also ruled out from the semifinals of 2014 world cup due to an injury and he was expected to deliver a star performance for the Brazilians this year.
In an interview, Neymar had said ahead of the World Cup that he is getting ready to get past the tacklers with his dribbling skills and stopping him would be a tedious task. He was considered a game changer for Brazil and claims were made that the opposite teams will mark him strongly, preventing him to create danger for the defending side.
Switzerland gave a tough fight to cup favourites in the first fixture of Group E. They managed to score an equalizer in the 50th minute, but also managed to stop Brazil from scoring a second and getting ahead in the game.
However, it was reported that Neymar received as many as 10 fouls in the game, most received by any player in world cup since 1998. Neymar also became the Brazilian player to suffer most fouls in a world cup match after 1996.
“I was a little bit worried about the referee. Every time they fell down, it was a whistle, a foul. This was a bit of a challenge. You think: ‘Don’t be too aggressive because every time they go down, it’s a foul.’ For that, I was a bit careful after my yellow card.” He said.