(Football news) Brazil secured a 2-0 win over Serbia in their opening Group G match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium with a brace from Richarlison in the second half in front of 88,103 supporters. Despite the two sides failing to break the deadlock for about an hour, the Seleção took the lead when Richarlison converted from close range after Vinicius Junior’s shot was diverted into his path by Serbia goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. If that wasn’t all, Richarlison then doubled the lead with a scissor kick in the 73rd minute, completely justifying coach Tite’s selection of choosing him over Gabriel Jesus.

Raphinha missed a few brilliant opportunities, failing to get any power behind his shots while Alex Sandro’s effort from range hit the bottom of the post as Brazil looked to get a breakthrough. The result meant that Brazil extended their unbeaten run in World Cup openers to 20 matches and a commanding start was exactly what they needed as they look to finally win the World Cup after 20 years. However, the biggest concern for Brazil will be Neymar’s injury as the 30 year old had visible swelling on his right ankle and will undergo an MRI scan. 

In the post match press conference, Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said “Neymar had an injury on the right ankle, direct trauma. Due to the shock that he had with the knee of the Serbian player, we immediately started the treatment on the bench. He continued the treatment with the physio. We need 24 to 48 hours to have a better understanding through the MRI. Tomorrow we will have a new assessment. Now we need to wait, we cannot make any premature comments on his evolution. We need to wait."

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar might be Neymar’s only chance of securing the trophy, having already failed twice (in 2014 and 2018). While there are 11 days before Brazil plays their Round of 16 clash (if they qualify), Neymar is currently facing a race against time to be fit and ready for the fixture. The Seleção have plenty of attacking options but they are more suited to the wide role than at number 10. 

Speaking after the match, Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic said “I think we were on an equal level in the first 45 minutes. They weren't much more dominant at that stage. In the second half, we fell physically and we were no longer a team. Brazil knew how to take advantage of this. They punished us. We came here with a lot of problems in Qatar, we have a lot of injuries in not the right time for key players of our team. It's the way it is, we have to face this fact. It's defeating not to have 100 per cent of your players. And it's obvious, you can see that. Brazil is the top team, there is no doubt about it. But again, we have shown in the first half that we can play this team. We don't have [Aleksandar] Mitrovic or [Filip] Kostic at 100 percent. It would be a completely different story if they were. They are not ready, that's the way it is." 

Also read: Portugal narrowly beat Ghana 3-2 in second half thriller