Neymar stepped on the pitch after three months on the sidelines against Colombia on Friday: he hadn’t played since picking up that injury against Qatar before the Copa America, and in some ways it looked as if he’d never been away. I said “some ways” because there was a fair amount of rust in the first half and even some boos from the crowd.
But he came to life after the break, scored a goal and showed plenty of fire and motivation. Which, given his injury layoff and the nerve-wracking final days of the transfer window was certainly not something to be taken for granted. It finished 2-2, but Neymar’s return was the most encouraging bit, both for Tite’s Brazil and for Paris Saint-Germain.