Brazil were working on their defensive shape in training. Their pivot closed down the player on the ball in what appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, stretching his leg out to make the tackle. He felt pain, however, and immediately stopped where he was.
That was when it dawned on the Brazilian side that their mission to win the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ might have to go on without the man who has just been voted the sport’s Best Men’s Player. The first step on that journey was taken this Tuesday with a 5-0 win over Costa Rica in the last 16.
“He injured himself in a basic movement,” Marquinhos Xavier told FIFA. “We go through much more strenuous movements than that in matches and training sessions, and he would not get injured.
“That is why I did some work with them to reflect on what our lives are [as players]. We are fragile, we are only human. The group were a little deflated after that.
“We are always gutted whenever we lose a player. It brings about a feeling of loss, even if it is only momentary, but hopefully we can find a way for him to come back. When we lose a soldier, the battle continues and we must win it.”
Pito has not yet undergone any scans on his injury. He needs to wait for the swelling in his leg to subside first. The Seleção coach and players will be hoping that it is not an injury that rules him out of the rest of the tournament.
“I think it is a grade one [strained muscle],” said Neguinho. “I am hoping he will be able to get out on to the court in our next game. He would be a massive loss for us.”
Brazil are back in action in the city of Bukhara on Sunday, where they will face the winners of IR Iran-Morocco in the quarter-finals. In other words, Pito will have had six days to try to recover from his injury in order to be fit for this next clash.
This will most likely be a game with a very different dynamic to Brazil’s exhilarating performances in the group stage, though. Out on the court, the players at least managed to take care of what was within their power – they dominated Costa Rica in what turned out to be a comfortable 5-0 win.
“That slower tempo can come with knockout games,” said Marlon. “We know that any mistake could be costly. We played a bit more cautiously with that in mind, we did not want to give Costa Rica any chances. I think the game felt a bit slower because of that.”
That is it for now. While their quarter-final opponent has not yet been decided, the players will be keeping active in Bukhara and their coaches will be doing what they can to study the Iranians and Moroccans. In the meantime, the whole Brazilian contingent will be anxiously waiting for a more detailed diagnosis on their No10.
“That is what it is like to be in a team,” explained Ferrao. “It happened before to me, then Marcenio, and now it has happened to him. We are in the middle of a battle and sometimes you lose a soldier in battle. But, when one player is out of action, another has to step up and fill in for them. That is how it will be until we are all together again.”
The veteran’s point of view carries some weight in this situation. Only he truly knows how hard he had to fight to recover from injuries in time to make it to the Uzbekistan 2024. Ferrao also went on to emphasise another factor that cannot be understated about his fellow Chapeco native.
“Pito is very hard-working,” said the FC Semey pivot. “That is why he has to made it to where he is now, and I have no doubt that he will do everything possible to get back out there as soon as possible.”
