Injury List Continues to Climb following Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup
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QATAR — The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar is in full swing, with the group stage wrapped and the knockout phases having begun! While several players have been advancing with their teams, a number of players have been picking up injuries during the competition.
Here’s a look at all the players who picked up knocks along the way.
Senegal is without key man Sadio Mane but has done well without him. The only player to sustain an injury is Cheikhou Kouyate, who suffered a groin injury against the Netherlands. He’s still out but will hope to feature against England.
While England did not pick up any injuries, Arsenal defender Ben White has returned to London having not played a single minute. With reasons set as ‘personal,’ The Football Association has requested that everyone respect his privacy.
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France has been hit hard. The first to take a hit was RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku. He picked up an injury during one of Les Blues’ first training sessions and is ruled out for the tournament.
Another forward to drop was Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. The Ballon d’Or winner was also ruled out after a session and won’t feature for France this year.
Bayern left-back Lucas Hernandez had to wrap up his participation early due to an ACL rupture against Australia. He’s even considering retiring from football!
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Morocco had a few problems, with Noussair Mazraoui picking up a hip injury and Achraf Hakimi suffering from a leg problem, both against Croatia. However, it wouldn’t stop them, as both returned and sent their team through.
Croatia is in good shape following Nikola Vlasic’s calf injury. He came on as a substitute against Canada, where they won 4-1.
Romelu Lukaku managed to feature for Belgium after recovering from a previous injury. Thomas Meunier also managed to return to play against Canada. Belgium has been knocked out of the World Cup, with Morocco and Croatia going through in their group.
The only man missing from Cameroon was goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has been internally suspended.
Neymar was in tears after picking up a knock in his ankle during Brazil’s game against Serbia. However, he was cleared in time for their eventual victory against South Korea. Alex Sandro and Danilo have also picked up injuries throughout the group stage.
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Speaking of the Koreans, Kim Min-Jae picked up a knock against Uruguay but returned for the second game against Ghana. Captain Son Heung-min has been playing with a face mask after picking up an eye socket fracture before the competition.
Portugal also has taken a few knocks along the way, losing Otavio, Danilo Pereira, and Nuno Mendes on their way to the knockouts. In addition, Mendes may not return to represent his nation for the remainder of the tournament.
Image Credit: The US Sun
With the tournament progressing quickly, will certain stars return in time, and will we see more players drop?