Brazil pair Neymar and Danilo ruled out for rest of World Cup group stage

Brazil duo Neymar and Danilo will miss their country's remaining two World Cup group games due to injury.

Neymar sprained his ankle in the second half of a bruising 2-0 win against Serbia on Thursday and was in tears while sitting on the bench with ice around his right ankle.

Brazil coach Tite 'confident' Neymar will continue at the World Cup despite ankle injury

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said tests conducted on Neymar's injury showed that the Paris Saint-Germain attacker has a ligament injury and will not be fit to play against Switzerland on Monday.

There was no timetable for Neymar's recovery but Lasmar said the situation of Juventus full-back Danilo, who has an injury to his left ankle, was similar to Neymar's and is also ruled out.

Adding to Brazil's problems, Manchester United winger Antony and West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta are both ill and could also miss the match. The South Americans take on African side Cameroon in their final group game next Friday.

“Neymar and Danilo went through an MRI on Friday afternoon and we found ligament damage in the ankle of both of them,” Lasmar told reporters.

Brazil's Neymar holds his ankle after picking up an injury against Serbia. AP

“They will miss the next game for sure and we will be cautious as they will undergo treatment in order to try to get them in shape so they can play again in the World Cup.”

If Neymar can't play, his replacement would likely be Rodrygo, who came in as a second-half substitute against Serbia on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Neymar was also hurt at the 2014 World Cup on home turf in Brazil, when his tournament ended with a back injury in the quarter-finals against Colombia. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, and Brazil ended up being humiliated 7-1 against Germany in the semi-final.

Neymar's right foot has caused him problems in the past, being among a series of injuries he suffered since the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Another right ankle sprain led him to miss the 2019 Copa America that Brazil won.

Brazil 2 Serbia 0: player ratings

BRAZIL RATINGS: Alisson Becker 6 - Serbia didn’t have a single attempt on target. Brazil had 22. That showed you how busy the Liverpool goalkeeper was. Getty Images

Alex Sandro 7 - Hit the post with a strike just before Brazil scored. His side took an hour to get going, but when they did they were very impressive. Getty Images

Thiago Silva 7 - Age 38 and playing in his fourth World Cup. Super 27th minute ball to Vinicius, who was brought down for a free-kick. AFP

Marquinhos 7 - Solid at the back, which was important given Brazil’s attacking formation, and seldom threatened as Brazil dominated. Getty Images

Danilo 7 - Never really put under pressure, even though Brazil were sluggish for a long time. AFP

Casemiro 8 - Wonderful ball to Neymar after nine minutes, then hit a shot on target himself after 21. Accurate passing and beautiful shot which hit the crossbar after 81. Getty Images

Lucas Paqueta 7 - Didn’t have the influence of Casemiro but won possession back for his side. Doesn’t get the same fanfare of more attacking players. Getty Images

Neymar 8 - Closely followed and fouled wherever he roamed. Hit a 13th minute corner on target. Shot a Vinicius cross wide on 54. Involved in the goal. Still a significant influence on the game. Getty Images

Vinicius Junior 8 - Missed the target on 40 after winning the ball from a Serbian defensive error. Dangerous with the ball and so much more effective when Brazil clicked. Getty Images

Raphinha 7 - Barcelona’s left footed right winger had a 48th minute effort well saved. Should have scored with another chance but worked effectively on the right. EPA

Richarlison 9 - Weak finish on 34 after an impressive build up as Brazil pushed for an opener. Did get on the scoresheet on 62 minutes - his eighth goal for his country in his last seven games. That became nine with overhead kick on 73. Getty Images

SUBS: Fred 7 - On for Paqueta after 73 to sit in the middle of the pitch and protect Brazil’s 2-0 lead. Fine shot from distance was saved on 83. AP Photo

Rodrygo 8 - On for Vinicius after 73. Excellent coming in from the left with his right foot. Overhit an 86th minute shot. AFP

Gabriel Jesus 7 - On for Richarlison after 78. Lovely pass to Casemiro for an 81st minute effort. AFP

Antony 7 - On for Neymar after 79 and an immediate danger with his pace. AFP

Gabriel Martinelli NA - On for Raphinha after 87 and straight into a flowing attacking side. AFP

SERBIA RATINGS: Vanja Milinković-Savić – 7 Made several important saves to keep his side in the game, and couldn’t do much about either of the two Brazil goals. Commanded his area. Getty Images

Filip Mladenović – 6 Had a tough test against Raphinha but managed to stay resolute and played a huge part in keeping the scores level at half time. Didn’t offer much going forward. Getty Images

Strahinja Pavlović – 7 Looked shaky at times, but had a good battle with Raphinha. Made some crucial tackles throughout. Getty Images

Nikola Milenković – 6 Used his presence well to clear a lot of crosses into the Serbian box, but had his hands full containing the quality of Neymar and Vinicius Junior. Getty Images

Miloš Veljković – 6 Showed determination, particularly in the first half, to keep out the World Cup favourites. However, in the second half, the South American side applied even more pressure, which proved too much for Veljković. Getty Images

Andrija Živković – 7 Did well to contain Vinicius Junior in the first half on the right side of the pitch. Was taken off early in the second half after carrying a knock. Getty Images

Saša Lukić – 5 An aggressive performance when it came to helping his side out defensively during the constant waves of attacks, but offered little creatively from the midfield. Getty Images

Nemanja Gudelj – 6 Battled well until a yellow card took the edge from his game. A mistake in the second half almost let Raphinha get on the scoresheet, but the winger missed a one on one. AP Photo

Sergej Milinković-Savić – 6 In a game which saw his side on the backfoot, the midfielder was unable to get himself into the game going forward. Found it hard getting the better of Casemiro. Getty Images

Dušan Tadić – 7 The Serbian captain looked most likely to make something happen for his side but failed to create anything threatening. Did provide some enticing set-piece deliveries, but Brazil were equal to them. Getty Images

Aleksandar Mitrović – 4 A tough night for the Fulham forward who was starved of any service. Getty Images

SUBS: Nemanja Radonjić (Živković, 57) – 6 The winger added more attacking firepower in the second half but was unable to create any goalscoring opportunities. Getty Images

Ivan Ilić (Gudelj, 57) – 5 Was introduced into the game just before the opposition broke the deadlock, which made it hard for the midfielder to get into the game. Getty Images

Dušan Vlahović (Mladenović, 66) – 6 The forward provided plenty of energy but like his fellow forward Mitrovic, he struggled to get any real chances. Getty Images

Darko Lazović (Lukić, 66) – 6 Tried hard to create down the left wing but was dealt with comfortably by Alex Sandro. Getty Images

Nemanja Maksimović (Mitrović 83) N/A Came on with Brazil dominating, and couldn’t make an impact. Getty Images

Updated: November 25, 2022, 4:10 PM

Brazil pair Neymar and Danilo ruled out for rest of World Cup group stage

PSG attacker and Juve defender both struggling with ankle problems

Brazil 2 Serbia 0: player ratings