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Brazil forward Neymar has been ruled out of the World Cup with a broken bone in his back sustained in the
2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia.
He fractured a vertebra in his spine when kneed in the back by Juan Zuniga in a challenge that went unpunished.
Neymar, 22, was in tears when he was carried off on a stretcher before being taken to hospital in Fortaleza.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said: "Neymar was going to be hunted. For three matches that has been happening."
Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told Brazil's SportTV: "Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to play. He is very, very sad.
"It's not serious in the sense that it doesn't need surgery, but he'll need to immobilise it to recover."
Lasmar added that he expected the recovery period to take at least a few weeks.
Neymar recovered from thigh and knee injuries sustained in the second-round win over Chile to play against Colombia.
The Barcelona forward has featured in all five of Brazil's matches at the 2014 Fifa World Cup and is their top scorer with four goals.
Neymar at the World Cup |
|
|---|---|
|
Matches played |
5 |
|
Minutes played |
457 |
|
Attempts on target |
72.2% |
|
Goals scored |
4 |
|
Assists |
1 |
Scolari said: "Not even a yellow card, nothing.
"People think Germany, these or the others, only they are hunted, but not Neymar."
Chris Waddle on Brazil's tactics
"Brazil don't let anybody start passing the ball. They just stop the game when they think there is going to be a problem and they will go and obstruct the opposition."They should have had at least five yellow cards on Friday instead of the two they picked up, and they got off very lightly.
"Brazil foul all the time and they were getting away with murder."
Zuniga insisted: "I never meant to hurt a player. It was a normal move.
"I was playing for the shirt from my country, not with the intent to injure. I was just defending my shirt."
Thiago Silva's early goal and a stunning David Luiz free-kick in the second half set up victory for Brazil, who withstood a late Colombia onslaught that saw James Rodriguez score an 80th-minute penalty.
Brazil committed 31 fouls during a scrappy game while their South American rivals made 23.
Hosts Brazil meet Germany in the semi-final in Belo Horizonte at 21:00 BST on Tuesday.
Brazil captain Silva will also miss that game through suspension after picking up a second booking of the tournament against Colombia.
The final will be held at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, 13 July.
Brazil v Germany will be live on BBC One on Tuesday, 8 July from 20:30 BST
Neymar was challenged by Napoli defender Juan Zuniga late in the game
The forward was in obvious pain after the incident
Brazil will be without top scorer Neymar and suspended captain Thiago Silva against Germany
The Barcelona forward scored four goals in the group stage of the World Cup
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