The much anticipated return of super star Neymar didn’t disappoint the fans as his second half goal gave Brazil a 2-2 draw against South American rivals Colombia in an international friendly on Friday night.
The match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens was attracted because it was the first competitive match of Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, who has not played for club or country since injuring his right foot in a June friendly against Qatar.
The Copa America champions Brazil took the lead in the 20th minute when Casemiro headed home a corner from Neymar who made his return to the national squad after missing out the victorious Copa campaign in their home soil.
Luis Muriel equalised from the penalty spot six minutes later after Alec Sandro was penalised for a clumsy challenge, and he put Colombia in front 11 minutes before half time when he rifled high into the net from 10 meters out to finish off a superb team move.
Brazil improved in the second half and Neymar got them level after 58 minutes when he tapped in from close range after Philippe Coutinho had split the Colombian defence with a long pass.
Neymar had a strong penalty claim turned away with a quarter of an hour remaining when Davison Sanchez forced him face first into pitch-side advertising but the referee waved the claim away and neither side could get the winner.
“It was a difficult game, but I think that we had more chances and we could have won,” said Brazil captain Dani Alves after the match.
“But I think that a game at this level really could have gone either way. It’s left a bitter taste in our mouth.”
Brazil will now go to Los Angeles where they face Peru on Tuesday, while Colombia play Venezuela in Tampa the same night.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.