World Cup round-up: Injury cloud hangs over Neymar and Brazil

Fifa investigating post-match fracas between Brazil and Chile while Deschamps tamps down players' enthusiasm

Brazil forward Neymar scores during the penalty shoot-out after extra time in the Round of 16 match against Chile at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte during the 2014 Fifa World Cup on June 28, 2014. Martin Bernetti / AFPShow less

 Ghana

Asamoah Gyan, Ghana's captain, apologised on Sunday for his side's World Cup collapse, which saw them finish bottom of their group amid money disputes in the squad. "We went there to make sure we make the nation proud and then things didn't happen," the Al Ain striker said at the airport in the capital, ­Accra. "What I have to say is sorry to all the fans who were very disappointed in us."

 Brazil

Neymar received a knock to his thigh early in the shoot-out victory over Chile, Brazil's coach said, and he hopes the team's leading scorer will be ready for the quarter-final match with Colombia on Friday. "We will do our best to put him on the pitch," Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "Neymar needs to be valued for what he did because it was a big effort," he added. He criticised the English referee Howard Webb for not protecting his star player. "He played 75 minutes of the match after a strong hit on the thigh and we couldn't understand how somebody hits with that strength and gets no card."

 Chile-Brazil

Fifa is investigating claims Brazil's press chief, Rodrigo Paiva, hit Chilean player Mauricio Pinilla during the last-16 game between the countries, a spokeswoman said. The incident happened at half time in Saturday's match, which Brazil won on penalties. Chile's media spokesman Maria Jose said his Brazilian counterpart "hit" Pinilla. Paiva told Brazilian media there was shoving by both sides as the teams left the field. "I was not the only one involved. Pinilla came looking for me and I just defended myself," he said. "I just pushed him."

 France

Didier Deschamps, the France coach, is anxious to play down expectations, insisting that he is concentrating on today’s last-16 game against Nigeria. French players Bacary Sagna and Morgan Schneiderlin have said that France should win the tournament. “I have perhaps had exchanges with the players concerned,” Deschamps said. “To be ambitious is very good, but to look any further than Nigeria does no one any good.”

 Belgium

The Belgium captain Vincent Kompany is a doubt to face the United States in the last 16, but a scare over Marouane Fellaini is "nothing serious", coach Marc Wilmots said on Sunday. Kompany missed training at the Belgian camp, while Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen went through a light workout alone. Fellaini left shortly before the end of training with what looked like an ice pack on his left calf. Wilmots said the move was precautionary.

 Uruguay

Diego Lugano, the Uruguay captain, said the punishment levied on teammate Luis Suarez was "a barbarity". After his team's 2-0 loss to Colombia, Lugano said: "It's a breach of human rights that a player cannot go into a stadium where there are 80,000 people or into a hotel with his teammates, that he cannot work for four months. He has committed a crime, but this ban is barbarity. Not even a criminal would receive this penalty."

Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE