Brazil’s World Cup campaign has been hit by an injury scare after winger Raphinha was forced off in the first half of their 3-0 victory over Haiti in Philadelphia.
The Barcelona star pulled up in the 40th minute, going to ground seemingly innocuously before being replaced by Bournemouth winger Rayan, who made his tournament debut. Raphinha had been at the heart of Brazil’s early dominance, seeing a goal ruled out for offside and another effort trickling narrowly wide. He was able to walk off the pitch gingerly, but fears of a hamstring problem now hang over the 29-year-old.
“Brazil winger Raphinha forced off with hamstring injury in World Cup win over Haiti, casting doubt on Scotland clash.”
Matheus Cunha had opened the scoring with a fortunate deflection before adding a second with a superb finish in the 36th minute. Vinicius Jr made it three on the stroke of half-time, leading the applause as his team-mate headed off.
The extent of Raphinha’s injury is not yet known. Speaking on ITV’s coverage, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes called his absence “a significant loss”. Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti had previously described Raphinha as one of the five best players in the world ahead of the tournament.
The Selecao are already without Neymar, who arrived in North America nursing a calf injury expected to keep him out until the knockout stages. Neymar did not travel to Philadelphia for the Haiti game, prompting Brazil’s president to furiously slam him for “working from home”.
Brazil’s final group-stage match is against Scotland on Wednesday, 24 June in Miami. The Scots sit third on three points after defeat to Morocco, and face a battle to progress. Ancelotti’s side likely need a win to secure top spot in Group A, with Morocco facing Haiti.