Neymar, back after a year, suffers another hamstring 'setback' after two games
Neymar, back after a year, suffers another hamstring 'setback' after two games
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Neymar, 32, Al Hilal's return to the field after more than a year out with a knee injury in October last year was marred by a hamstring (back thigh muscle) strain that forced him to be substituted just two games into his return.
Al Hilal cruised to a 3-0 victory over Esteghlal (Iran) in the fourth leg of their 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) League stage clash at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday (June 5), led by a hat-trick and a one-man show from Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The victory was Al-Hilal's fourth straight in the ACLE League stage, moving them level on points with Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia - 12) but ahead in West Asia on goal difference.
However, 카지노사이트 Al-Hilal were more concerned about Neymar's fitness than the joy of victory.
Al-Hilal brought on Neymar from the bench 13 minutes into the second half with the score 2-0.
Neymar made his return to action after a 369-day absence when he came on as a 32nd-minute substitute in the third leg of the ACLE League stage match against Al Ain at the Haji Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on March 22, after coming off the bench.
Neymar injured his left knee on Oct. 18 last year in a South American qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup North and Central America 2026 against Uruguay and underwent a lengthy rehabilitation that November, undergoing surgery to reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament and repair a torn meniscus.
After a long rehabilitation, Neymar joined the team in training last month and returned to the field against Al Ain.
Neymar started the game on the bench against Esteghlal and came on as a 13th-minute substitute in the second half, his second consecutive appearance since his return.
However, Neymar had to be substituted in the 42nd minute after complaining of discomfort when he grabbed the back of his thigh after sticking out his right foot to receive a pass from a teammate on the left side of the penalty area.
Neymar played just 29 minutes on the day before returning to the bench.