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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Ashdown

Will there be no more Neymar for Brazil?

Neymar
Neymar getting some sunshine on his thighs at the weekend. Photograph: Marco Buenavista/Sports Press Photo/Shutterstock

SELEÇÃ-OUCH!

It has been rather an underwhelming World Cup cycle for Brazil. They arrived at the Human Rights World Cup as fairly hot favourites but after their exit at the hands of Croatia in the last eight in Al-Rayyan four years ago things have drifted. They went out in the quarter-finals at the 2024 Copa América, then limped through Conmebol qualifying for the Geopolitics World Cup, finishing fifth after six defeats – to Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina (twice), Paraguay and Bolivia – with their lowest points tally since South America switched to an 18-game format for the 2002 tournament. In October they lost 3-2 to Japan in a friendly and in November they were held to a 1-1 draw by Tunisia.

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