Neymar Jr. announces retirement from International Football after defeat to Norway in FIFA World Cup

Brazil’s veteran player Neymar Jr. has announced his retirement from international football after the five-time world champions suffered a stunning 2-1 defeat against Norway in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 last night. He finished his international career as the all-time leading scorer for Brazil.

The 34-year-old forward brought the curtain down on his international career moments after Brazil’s hopes of a sixth World Cup title were ended by Erling Haaland’s late brace, with Neymar scoring a stoppage-time penalty that proved only a consolation. His retirement brings to an end one of the most celebrated international careers in Brazilian football.

For Brazil, the defeat marked a seventh consecutive World Cup knockout loss to European opposition and their earliest World Cup exit since 1990, while Neymar’s emotional farewell closed the chapter on an era that defined Brazilian football for more than a decade. In another match, England stormed into the quarter-finals with a dramatic 3-2 victory over MEXICO in Mexico City.

Folarin Balogun is available to play for the United States in their World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium after his one-game ban was suspended by FIFA.

The 25-year-old star striker, who is the US’s top scorer at the tournament with three goals, was shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic as the co-hosts won their last-32 tie 2-0. FIFA said the automatic one-match ban would be suspended for a year. No reasoning behind the move was provided, beyond citing a rule which allows punishments to be suspended.