Whether with vile intent or entirely accidental, the knee into the lower vertebrae of Neymar by Colombia’s Juan Zuniga caused a fracture that may rupture an entire nation’s World Cup hopes.
Coming into this quarterfinal tie, Neymar was carrying a thigh and knee injury which he picked up in the Second Round game against Chile.
Brazil's Neymar screams out after being fouled during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Brazil and Colombia on July 4, 2014. - AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
All looked well with Brazil leading 2 – 1 until the 86th minute when both Neymar and Zuniga jumped to challenge for possession of a ball that was sent floating in their direction. Zuniga’s mission for his nation appeared simple, get the ball before that man in the gold shirt! Actually both players did not.
What he wrought was pain for a whole nation when Neymar reeled from the impact of the collision and grimaced in pain. Was he play-acting? But wait – he had to be stretchered out and Brazil had to bring out substitute Henrique.
To be sure, Brazil were no Saints – they dished out as good as they got. In the tough football playgrounds of the favelas, you do not make progress by being some shrinking violet. Push or be pushed, tug or be tugged, foul or be fouled?
Who will face Brazil next?
Germany! The team that played France earlier to scrape a 1 – nil victory at the Maracanna.
This game between the two aristocrats of European football did not live up to the pre-match billing nor heated buildup.
The ever efficient Germans did just enough to keep their goal intact and their forwards did not have to pull all the stops to over-exert themselves. In fact, they scored with their first real attempt at goal and then only had two more shots on target – for the rest of the game!
The French have only themselves to blame really. There was none of the flair to go with the finesse shown in the earlier Group games.
Despite the defeat, the French will return home to Paris to a heroes’ welcome. While it would not exactly be a ticker tape shower in an open-topped bus, the whole nation will be basking in the afterglow of this good showing in Brazil.
That would be just reward indeed for the team that in the past two World Cups had underperformed dismally, caused more by personality disorders and internecine strife within the multi-racial team.
So for both Colombia and France, they will return home with pride intact. They can look back at this World Cup campaign with a large measure of pride and sense of satisfaction at a job well done – relatively.
For Neymar on the other hand, only a winners medal will do!
