Following a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 pre-quarterfinals, Brazilian star striker Neymar Jr. has announced his retirement from international football.
Brazilian star striker Neymar Jr. has announced his retirement from international football. Neymar made this emotional decision after a crushing defeat to Norway in the pre-quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
With this loss, the 34-year-old star footballer's dream of winning the World Cup remains unfulfilled once again.
After the 2-1 loss against Norway, Neymar confirmed his retirement while speaking to reporters. He stated that he will no longer take the field in the Brazilian national team's jersey.
He had been struggling with persistent injuries for the past few years, and this defeat has brought an end to his illustrious international career.
Neymar appeared extremely emotional after the match. He said, "My journey started here at MetLife Stadium, and now I am ending my journey here as well. I tried my best."
My journey started at MetLife Stadium, and now I am ending my journey here as well. I tried my best.
As soon as the final whistle blew, Neymar collapsed on the field and burst into tears. This emotional moment made it clear that this could be his last match for Brazil. The video of this moment is rapidly going viral on social media.
In this thrilling pre-quarterfinal match played at MetLife Stadium in New York-New Jersey, Norway knocked Brazil out of the tournament with a 2-1 victory.
The hero of this victory was Norway's star striker Erling Haaland, who scored two goals in the match to send his team to the quarterfinals.
The first half of the match was goalless, but Norway made a strong comeback in the second half. Haaland scored the first goal in the 79th minute, giving Norway a 1-0 lead.
Then, in the 90th minute, Haaland scored his second goal, nearly extinguishing Brazil's hopes of a comeback and making the score 2-0.
In injury time, Neymar scored a goal from a penalty to make the score 2-1, but this goal only managed to reduce the margin of defeat. It turned out to be his first and last goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Shortly after, the referee blew the final whistle, ending Brazil's World Cup campaign.
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