EAST RUTHERFORD (United States) (AFP) – Brazil superstar Neymar indicated Sunday that his international career was over after the five-time World Cup winners went out of the tournament in the last 16 at the hands of Norway._x000D_
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Neymar came on as a late substitute at the MetLife Stadium and scored a penalty deep in injury time, but that was a mere consolation after Erling Haaland netted twice for Norway, and Brazil lost 2-1._x000D_
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The 34-year-old is Brazil’s all-time top scorer and ironically he got his first goal for his country in the same stadium, in a 2-0 win against the United States back in 2010._x000D_
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“I tried and I tried. Now it’s over. It began here and it ends here,” Neymar said in a brief exchange with a journalist from Brazil’s Globo Esporte after the game._x000D_
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He collapsed in tears when the final whistle went, and had to be consoled by teammates._x000D_
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Worn down by injuries in recent years, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player, now back at first club Santos, was a surprise inclusion in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the World Cup._x000D_
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Injury prevented him from featuring in Brazil’s first two group games at the tournament, but he did come on in the 3-0 win over Scotland in Miami which completed the opening round._x000D_
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That was his first international appearance since October 2023, but his only other appearance in the United States came Sunday against Norway.
