Brazilian star Neymar returned to scoring with the Brazilian national team shirt for the first time in about three and a half years, after scoring the "Seleção"'s only goal in the 2-1 loss to Norway, in the match that brought the two teams together within the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Neymar's goal came from a penalty kick in stoppage time, but it was not enough to change the result, so the Brazilian national team bid farewell to the tournament after losing 2-1 to Norway.
Neymar's last goal with the Brazilian national team before facing Norway dates back to December 9, 2022, when he scored against Croatia in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, during extra time, before the "Seleção" exited the tournament on penalties.
After that, Neymar stayed away from the national team for a long period due to a series of injuries, before returning to participate in the 2026 World Cup, but he failed to score during the tournament matches until he broke his scoring drought with his goal against Norway, which came late and did not prevent Brazil's exit in the round of 16.
Neymar suffered a long absence from the Brazilian national team due to injuries, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear and cartilage rupture in October 2023 during a match against Uruguay in the World Cup qualifiers, an injury that kept him off the pitch for many months.
After returning to play with his club, he suffered setbacks and recurring muscle injuries that delayed his full recovery, causing him to miss several international camps before returning again to the "Seleção" squad in the 2026 World Cup, where he ended his scoring drought with his first goal for the national team since December 2022.
