Hours after Brazil’s quarter-final triumph over Colombia the celebrations were dampened when it was revealed star forward Neymar would miss the rest of the World Cup.
The Barcelona ace fracture his vertebra late in the match at Fortaleza and was forced off the field on a stretcher.
After going to hospital straight after the match, he underwent test on his back and it was confirmed that he had suffered a serious enough injury to warrant him several weeks of rest and therefore rule him out of the rest of the tournament.
The challenge by Juan Camilo Zúñiga to knee the 22-year-old in the back was cynical but calls for the Colombia to face punishment are wide of the mark considering the ball was there to be won.
For Luiz Felipe Scolari and the hosts, the news of Neymar’s injury is a devastating blow.
The former Santos man has coped magnificently with the pressure throughout this tournament, scoring four times and assisting the opener for Thiago Silva against Colombia.
Although he wasn’t at his best yesterday he has been one of Brazil’s best players in the tournament and represents perhaps their only world class attacker.
Unfortunately, however, Neymar’s tournament is over and how the hosts cope without him doesn’t bare thinking about.
