Neymar could be a starter for Barça as early as this weekend.
Neymar's first goal in an official match for Barcelona and a suspected injury to star player Lionel Messi give the Brazilian striker a strong chance of starting in the game against Malaga in the Spanish Championship next weekend.
By Mark Elkington
BARCELONA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Neymar's first goal in an official match for Barcelona and a suspected injury to star player Lionel Messi give the Brazilian striker a strong chance of starting in the game against Malaga in the Spanish Championship next weekend.
The 21-year-old striker, signed by Barça from Santos for 57 million euros, came on in the second half on Wednesday when the Catalan team was losing 1-0 to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup final. He scored the equalizer with a header, undeterred by the pressure from the rival fans.
Coach Gerardo Martino had been trying to avoid excessive pressure from the fans on the former Santos player. Last Sunday, in the 7-0 thrashing of Levante, Neymar also started as a substitute and was brought on during the match.
In Wednesday's game, he came on in the 14th minute of the second half, when the aggressive and organized Atlético seemed to be heading for a victory at the Vicente Calderón stadium.
"I score very few goals with my head, so this one is worth more," Neymar told reporters. "I'm happy with the goal because it helped my teammates. The important thing is to help the team."
Neymar arrived in Barcelona with a reputation as a great dribbler and with the expectation of attracting defenders, relieving the pressure on Messi, who for four years had been considered the best player in the world.
But his first appearances were relatively low-key, as he seemed more focused on showing himself as part of the team than as a showman.
By scoring an important goal in difficult circumstances -- Atlético had been pressing Barça hard for almost an hour -- Neymar also showed he has a goalscoring instinct.
Messi had left the field at halftime, which Martino said was a precaution due to a slight injury. Cesc Fàbregas came on in his place and showed good understanding with Neymar.
The Argentine will undergo tests on Thursday and may miss Sunday's game, either due to injury or to be rested for the Super Cup final next Wednesday.