Brazil's victory against a James Rodriguez-led Colombia on Friday is definitely a bittersweet one. Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar had told national channel SportTV that the frosted hair forward will be out for the rest of the World Cup because of a painful fractured vertebrae.
He said, "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 immobilize it to recover."
Lasmar also said that Neymar is expected to recover at least a few weeks, which would be well past the finals should Brazil managed to advance.
Neymar, who recently recovered from thigh and knee injuries he received during a last-16 match victory over Chile to play against the Colombians, reportedly had a quiet game until Colombia's Juan Zuniga challenged him for a header in the 88th minute, BBC said. The 22 year-old was kneed during the collision following the challenge, BBC said.
Zuniga has since made a statement about the blow he had landed on Neymar's back. He ws quoted as saying, "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."
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, on the other hand, somewhat expected the fact that one of his star players would be hunted down.
Neymar's medical emergency could prove fatal to Brazil as their own team captain, Thiago Silva, will also miss the crucial semifinals game against Germany on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte. Silva had picked up a second booking against Colombia during Friday's match.
South American football expert Tim Vickery said, "Brazil will be without their two most important players against Germany. Neymar is a huge loss but it opens up a chance for someone else and I would expect Willian (da Silva) to get his opportunity now."
