Salah, Neymar and Messi have not fired yet. (TOI Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
During Brazil's 1-1 draw with Switzerland, Neymar was fouled 10 times.Messi did face heavy marking too, but he also had two uninspired performances for Argentina.
Salah scored a penalty against Russia but only after the hosts led by three goals, and his mobility was clearly affected
SARANSK: With nagging injuries, heavy marking from opponents and some simply uninspired play, the top stars of the 2018 World Cup have struggled to deliver on the impossible expectations they carried into the tournament, with one prominent Portuguese exception.
Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, who has all four of Portugal's goals in its two games, many of the biggest names are off to a shaky start.
No one has had rougher treatment from the opposition than the world's priciest player, Neymar.
During Brazil's opening 1-1 draw with Switzerland, the 26-year-old was fouled 10 times, the highest number on a single player in a single match since the 1998 World Cup, when England's Alan Shearer took 11 challenges against Tunisia.
Overall, Switzerland fouled Brazil 19 times, with little intervention from the referee, and it worked -- especially on Neymar.
Brazilians suggested their opponents were too violent; Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes thinks Neymar has another problem.
"He just falls too much," Fernandes said after the game in Rostov-on-Don.
"Out of these 10, only seven or eight were fouls. We have to stop their star, and he is the star."
Neymar felt the effects of the Swiss strategy long after Sunday's match ended, limping out of training Tuesday as he continues to recover from a foot injury he picked up before the tournament.
Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, who has all four of Portugal's goals in its two games, many of the biggest names are off to a shaky start.
No one has had rougher treatment from the opposition than the world's priciest player, Neymar.
During Brazil's opening 1-1 draw with Switzerland, the 26-year-old was fouled 10 times, the highest number on a single player in a single match since the 1998 World Cup, when England's Alan Shearer took 11 challenges against Tunisia.
Overall, Switzerland fouled Brazil 19 times, with little intervention from the referee, and it worked -- especially on Neymar.
Brazilians suggested their opponents were too violent; Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes thinks Neymar has another problem.
"He just falls too much," Fernandes said after the game in Rostov-on-Don.
"Out of these 10, only seven or eight were fouls. We have to stop their star, and he is the star."
Neymar felt the effects of the Swiss strategy long after Sunday's match ended, limping out of training Tuesday as he continues to recover from a foot injury he picked up before the tournament.
This post is from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment