Brazil forward Neymar insists that he did not feel targeted or provoked during his team’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw in Barranquilla. Colombia and Brazil games have had a recent tendency to become very physical, with Neymar at the epicentre of several controversies.
He was injured during the World Cup quarter-final against Colombia in 2014 and was also sent off in a heated 2015 Copa America clash between the two sides. But Neymar says he did not feel as though those tensions translated into last night’s match.
“I did not feel provoked, I was very calm about everything. We have been happy with the victories, and with how the team has been playing, which is the main thing. From the moment you begin to adapt to the game style of team and teammates, it gets easier. We have a good future”
Brazil coach Tite bristled at the question as to whether the game was another heated affair between two rivals, “I re-emphasize the great technical game. You have to stop with this teasing story. It’s a football game, a great spectacle that we saw today.”