Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
The icon of Brazilian soccer is suddenly out of the World Cup after fracturing a vertebra during the final minutes of Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Colombia in the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Friday. Neymar went down near the end of the game after he was kneed in the shoulder by Colombian defender Juan Camilo Zuniga; he was then carried off the field on a stretcher. The Brazilian confederation said he was “screaming in pain” in the locker room before he was taken to the hospital. The injury is not expected to require surgery, but will take about four weeks to heal, drastically reducing Brazil’s chances of winning the tournament. Thialgo Silva will also miss the semifinal match against Germany after getting his second yellow card Friday against Colombia.