Neymar may have to take another break from playing so soon after his comeback. Meanwhile, his club remains undefeated.
Neymar’s working day was already over on Monday after just 29 minutes on the pitch. The 32-year-old was substituted for teammate Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 58th minute of the Asian Champions League game between his Saudi club Al-Hilal and Esteghlal of Iran – and had to leave the field again in the 87th minute.
The Brazilian was visibly in pain in his right thigh and had to be replaced by Mohammed bin Hamad bin Dwaihi Al Swaidan Al Qahtani. Whether and for how long Neymar, who only two weeks ago made his comeback after a 366-day injury break following a cruciate ligament rupture, will now be out remained unclear in Riyadh. The superstar suffered the knee injury in October 2023 in a Selecao game. Neymar was not called up by coach Dorival for Brazil’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers in November.
Mitrovic’s hat-trick – CR7 in action in the evening
Al-Hilal won the duel with Esteghlal 3-0 (2-0). All three goals for the team of coach Jorge Jesus were scored by former Premier League pro Aleksandar Mitrovic (30, formerly of Fulham). After the fourth matchday of the AFC Elite Group West, Al-Hilal are top with a flawless record (4/0/0) and a goal difference of 15:6, ahead of their Saudi rivals Al-Ahli, who have the same number of points. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are currently fourth in the group, five points behind, but can climb to the top with a home win over winless Al-Ain this evening.
Defending champions and cup winners Al-Hilal are also still top of the Saudi Professional League.
