Mondial-2026: Neymar, un dernier penalty et des larmes
Eliminated by Norway (2-1) in the round of 16 of the World Cup, Neymar played his last match in the Brazilian jersey on Sunday in East Rutherford, punctuated by a torrent of tears, after scoring a penalty which vainly reduced the gap.
Sitting on the pitch at MetLife Stadium, the tearful number 10 was surrounded by his teammates who had come to comfort him. But he remained inconsolable: his dream of winning the World Cup, the only trophy missing from his career, had just vanished under the onslaught of Erling Haaland, who scored a brace late in the game.
Neymar earned his 130th and final cap in the 67th minute of the match, when Carlo Ancelotti decided to bring him on in place of Gabriel Martinelli. His first dribble was unsuccessful, as was his first pass, perhaps due to an excess of emotion as the crowd had just captured the moment by pulling out their smartphones.
The minutes ticked by without him managing to breathe new life and inspiration into his team's attack, as exemplified by that forced dribble in the box amidst a forest of Norwegian legs.
So, with the elimination looming, frustration got the better of him and Neymar lost his temper a bit. First, by committing a nasty tackle on Odegaard (90+5), then by pushing past other Norwegians who had rushed towards them. He received a deserved yellow card.
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Would this action, which was not to his advantage, be the last trace left by Neymar?
No. Because an elbow from Ostigard to Casemiro's face was penalized with a penalty, the second of the match for the Seleção, frustrated to have missed the opportunity in the first half when Bruno Guimaraes had his shot saved by Orjan Nyland (13th).
So, in those final seconds of added time, when victory had already chosen Norway's side, the 34-year-old striker didn't hesitate to take it.
But just before, in an increasingly tense atmosphere on the pitch, he exchanged words with Nyland, who tried to unsettle him by making frantic gestures on his line. It would take more than that to deny the Brazilian idol his 80th international goal, a new record, with a well-placed shot that sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Saving the honor of the Canarinha, who have failed at this early stage for the first time since 1990, will not console Neymar.
And this futile goal will only have had the value of a tearful farewell, in a competition that has never been kind to him (semi-finalist without playing because of injury in 2014, quarter-finalist in 2018 and 2022).
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