Raphinha substituted at half-time of Brazil friendly with thigh discomfort as Barcelona sweat

Barcelona left sweating as Raphinha withdrawn at the break

Barcelona have been dealt a worrying injury scare during the international break after Brazil forward Raphinha was substituted at half-time of his country's friendly against Australia on Tuesday.

The forward started the clash and captained the Selecao for the second consecutive friendly, opening the scoring from the penalty spot in an entertaining first half that ended 2-2. However, his evening was cut short at the interval amid concern over his fitness.

In a statement, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed the nature of the problem: "Suffering from discomfort in his right thigh, striker Raphinha was substituted at halftime." There are no further details available just yet.

The sight of Raphinha going off — particularly with his history of hamstring problems — will be the last thing Barcelona wanted to see during this international break. The winger appeared to slip right before half-time and was down on the turf for a little while, which is potentially how he sustained the injury.

All at Barcelona will be crossing their fingers and hoping that Raphinha has not suffered any kind of injury that will see him sidelined. The Brazilian has been in sensational form for Hansi Flick's side in the early weeks of the season, scoring 14 goals in all competitions and leading by example.

The club and its supporters will now await further medical updates on the extent of the thigh complaint before the resumption of domestic action.