FORTAZELA: Neymar has been ‘hunted’ throughout the World Cup, said Brazil’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari as his superstar striker was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a fractured vertebra in the early hours of Saturday.
Neymar was carried off in agony after a heavy challenge from Juan Camillo Zuniga towards the end of Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia in Fortaleza.
Hospital tests showed that the 22-year-old Barcelona striker had a fractured third vertebra and would not play again in Brazil’s campaign for a sixth title.
Brazil play Germany in the semi-final on Tuesday and will also be without captain Thiago Silva who is suspended after getting a second yellow card of the competition.
“I have been saying for three matches that Neymar has been hunted, but all the other countries say it isn’t true and it’s only their players that are hunted,” said Scolari.
The coach fumed that Silva had been booked for impeding a clearance from Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina without any injury when Zungia went unpunished.
“There was not even a yellow card and Thiago got a yellow card for nothing,” he said.
The Barcelona superstar has been integral to Brazil’s World Cup campaign so far, scoring four goals en route to the last four.
Brazil appeared to have had the game won when David Luiz’s sensational free-kick doubled his side’s advantage midway through the second-half after Silva’s early opener.
However, James Rodriguez’s penalty 10 minutes from time cut the deficit with his sixth goal in five World Cup games.
“We conceded the goal from a situation where we had the ball and lost possession and that caused a momentary lack of calm,” said Scolari.
Match-winner Luiz, meanwhile, revelled in his incredible free-kick that propelled Brazil into the last four for the first time in 12 years.
“Today it was great because I hit the exact point where the ball can go many ways and it is difficult for the goalkeeper,” said the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender.
James blames referee’s influence for exit
Colombian star James Rodriguez claimed Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo had been a decisive influence as his country’s World Cup dreams ended with the defeat to Brazil.
“Unfortunately, the referee didn’t help a lot,” said the Monaco playmaker, who had been singled out for some rough treatment by the Brazilian players.
Manchester City’s Fernandinho was particularly culpable as he hacked down James three times in the first-half alone without being booked by Carballo.
“I think the referee influenced the game a lot, but that is how it is and we need to look forward.
“We are sad because we wanted to go further in the World Cup. That is what hurts most, but Brazil are a good team.”
James was comforted by Luiz and a number of other Brazilian players as he left the field in tears, with the PSG defender gesturing to the home crowd to applaud the Colombian.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2014.
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