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World Cup 2014: A stunned Brazil calls foul over Neymar injury World Cup 2014: A stunned Brazil calls foul over Neymar injury
(1 day later)
Yesterday's papers said it all. Brazil may have reached the semi-final of the World Cup on Friday night, but yesterday the full cost of their quarter-final victory over Colombia was being counted. Neymar, the 22-year-old star of this tournament, the player who has borne the weight of Brazilian expectation with extraordinary calm and good grace, is out of the World Cup, having suffered a fractured vertebra. Perhaps it was coincidence, but when somebody in an apartment in Copacabana, four blocks from the beachside fan park, began playing Barber's Adagio for Strings on a loop, it seemed entirely in keeping with the general mood.Yesterday's papers said it all. Brazil may have reached the semi-final of the World Cup on Friday night, but yesterday the full cost of their quarter-final victory over Colombia was being counted. Neymar, the 22-year-old star of this tournament, the player who has borne the weight of Brazilian expectation with extraordinary calm and good grace, is out of the World Cup, having suffered a fractured vertebra. Perhaps it was coincidence, but when somebody in an apartment in Copacabana, four blocks from the beachside fan park, began playing Barber's Adagio for Strings on a loop, it seemed entirely in keeping with the general mood.
To look at a newsstand was to see image after image of Neymar in agony, being stretchered off the pitch. As he departed down the tunnel, a hush fell over the stadium in Fortaleza, and over fan parks across the country. "Won the game, lost the star," reflected O Tempo. "To win the cup without him?" asked the headline of O Povo. "Play for him!" demanded the front page of Lance!To look at a newsstand was to see image after image of Neymar in agony, being stretchered off the pitch. As he departed down the tunnel, a hush fell over the stadium in Fortaleza, and over fan parks across the country. "Won the game, lost the star," reflected O Tempo. "To win the cup without him?" asked the headline of O Povo. "Play for him!" demanded the front page of Lance!
"This World Cup was his dream," said Neymar's friend and agent Wagner Ribeiro. "He kept talking about the World Cup, has been thinking about it for a year. It's very frustrating.""This World Cup was his dream," said Neymar's friend and agent Wagner Ribeiro. "He kept talking about the World Cup, has been thinking about it for a year. It's very frustrating."
After the match, Neymar was flown to Galeão air base in Rio de Janeiro, where he was pictured embracing his team-mates David Luiz and Bernard. He was then taken by ambulance to Grange Comay hospital in Teresópolis, where Brazil have their training base. Hundreds of fans had gathered outside the hospital and greeted his arrival with chants of, "Forca Neymar". The phrase also trended on Twitter, with Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres tweeting "#forca Neymar. We are with you! Have a great recovery and return to the pitch soon!" After the match, Neymar was flown to Galeão air base in Rio de Janeiro, where he was pictured embracing his team-mates David Luiz and Bernard. He was then taken by ambulance to Grange Comay hospital in Teresópolis, where Brazil have their training base. Hundreds of fans had gathered outside the hospital and greeted his arrival with chants of, "Força Neymar". The phrase also trended on Twitter, with Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres tweeting "#força Neymar. We are with you! Have a great recovery and return to the pitch soon!"
Alongside the sadness, and the realisation of what this might mean to Brazil's hopes of winning the Word Cup on home soil, there was also anger. "COVARDIA" – "cowardice" blasted the headline of Extra. O Globo published a gallery of photographs of "Neymar being hunted in the field", although he actually only suffered four fouls in the game, two fewer than Colombia's James Rodríguez. Colombia's own 22-year-old superstar was clattered twice in the first quarter of an hour of each half, a pattern that raised suspicions that Brazil's coach, Luis Felipe Scolari, had had a specific target in mind when he'd urged his players to "get physical" before the game.Alongside the sadness, and the realisation of what this might mean to Brazil's hopes of winning the Word Cup on home soil, there was also anger. "COVARDIA" – "cowardice" blasted the headline of Extra. O Globo published a gallery of photographs of "Neymar being hunted in the field", although he actually only suffered four fouls in the game, two fewer than Colombia's James Rodríguez. Colombia's own 22-year-old superstar was clattered twice in the first quarter of an hour of each half, a pattern that raised suspicions that Brazil's coach, Luis Felipe Scolari, had had a specific target in mind when he'd urged his players to "get physical" before the game.
There were 54 fouls in total, more than in any other game at this World Cup, 31 of them committed by Brazil. Tactical fouling, rotating the offender so as to avoid cards, has been a pattern of Brazil's play throughout the tournament: the game with the second most fouls was their penalty shoot-out victory over Chile in the last 16, when the hosts committed 28 of 51 fouls.There were 54 fouls in total, more than in any other game at this World Cup, 31 of them committed by Brazil. Tactical fouling, rotating the offender so as to avoid cards, has been a pattern of Brazil's play throughout the tournament: the game with the second most fouls was their penalty shoot-out victory over Chile in the last 16, when the hosts committed 28 of 51 fouls.
If there was anger in Brazil, there was even more fury in Colombia. Certainly the newspaper Hoy, Diario del Magdalena had little doubt who was to blame for their defeat. "The Spanish referee, son of a massive bitch, the mother who bore you!" screamed its front page.If there was anger in Brazil, there was even more fury in Colombia. Certainly the newspaper Hoy, Diario del Magdalena had little doubt who was to blame for their defeat. "The Spanish referee, son of a massive bitch, the mother who bore you!" screamed its front page.
In the context of a robust game, the incident that led to the injury didn't seem particularly noteworthy. Zuniga leapt for a high ball while Neymar didn't jump, perhaps reasoning that his best chance of hindering the Colombia right back was simply to get in the way. In that, he failed, with Zuniga making clean contact with the ball and Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo deciding the challenge was clean. Zuniga's knee, though, caught Neymar in the back, but whether there was a deliberate attempt to injure or whether he was simply trying to retain his balance is difficult to say. Fifa, pursuing its disciplinary procedures as arbitrarily as ever, has said it will investigate the challenge, although it didn't even consider what appeared to be elbows by the USA's Kyle Beckerman and France's Mamadou Sakho in the group stage.In the context of a robust game, the incident that led to the injury didn't seem particularly noteworthy. Zuniga leapt for a high ball while Neymar didn't jump, perhaps reasoning that his best chance of hindering the Colombia right back was simply to get in the way. In that, he failed, with Zuniga making clean contact with the ball and Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo deciding the challenge was clean. Zuniga's knee, though, caught Neymar in the back, but whether there was a deliberate attempt to injure or whether he was simply trying to retain his balance is difficult to say. Fifa, pursuing its disciplinary procedures as arbitrarily as ever, has said it will investigate the challenge, although it didn't even consider what appeared to be elbows by the USA's Kyle Beckerman and France's Mamadou Sakho in the group stage.
"For me it was a normal action," said Zuniga. "I never intended to cause harm to the player. On the field we have to play tough, but never with the intention of injuring another player.""For me it was a normal action," said Zuniga. "I never intended to cause harm to the player. On the field we have to play tough, but never with the intention of injuring another player."
The former Brazil striker Ronaldo, the joint top-scorer in World Cup finals history, though, described the challenge as "very violent" and said he had sent a message to Neymar. "I told him the whole country is proud of him and we will win the World Cup and dedicate it to him."The former Brazil striker Ronaldo, the joint top-scorer in World Cup finals history, though, described the challenge as "very violent" and said he had sent a message to Neymar. "I told him the whole country is proud of him and we will win the World Cup and dedicate it to him."
However, given that, as the 1970 World Cup-winning forward Tostão put it, "Brazil have two strategies: 1, give it to Neymar; 2, give it to Neymar", winning a sixth World Cup now looks a lot harder than it did.However, given that, as the 1970 World Cup-winning forward Tostão put it, "Brazil have two strategies: 1, give it to Neymar; 2, give it to Neymar", winning a sixth World Cup now looks a lot harder than it did.
• This article was amended on 7 July 2014 to add a crucial cedilla to "Força Neymar".