Neymar a doubt for Brazil's quarter-final against Colombia as Luiz Felipe Scolari fumes at star man's treatment



Barcelona forward picked up a thigh injury against Chile

Brazil head coach admitted his relief at progressing in the last-16

Hosts now face James Rodriguez and Co later this week



Neymar is a fitness worry for Brazil’s quarter-final against Colombia after Luiz Felipe Scolari voiced his annoyance at the ‘treatment’ the hosts’ star man was receiving.



The 22-year-old knocked in the winning penalty against Chile as they stumbled through a tricky last-16 tie.



Scolari, whose relief at the result was palpable as he spoke about their luck in going through, was angry at the force in which Neymar has had to deal with.



Heavy knock: Neymar is a doubt for Brazil's quarter-final clash against Colombia on Friday night

Star quality: The 22-year-old slotted home the decisive penalty against Chile in the last-16 on Saturday

Breaking down: Neymar was overwhelmed when the hosts scraped past their South American rivals

‘We have four or five days to get Neymar in shape for the next match. It is a big problem, his thigh is swollen,’ he said.



‘I remember when I was Portugal coach and, in the fifth minute of the game, Netherlands defender Khalid Boulahrouz broke Cristiano Ronaldo in half and he had to go off 10 minutes later.



‘When I saw Neymar after the game today I remembered that. Some people say Neymar falls too easily. He fell three times.’



It had looked for all the world that the hosts would be dumped out of the competition towards the end of a tense extra time when Mauricio Pinilla thrashed the crossbar, but they – largely thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Julio Cesar – rolled on to the quarter-finals.



Scolari freely admits that the shootout win, and indeed the three games preceding that, haven’t been virtuoso performances by any stretch – a pattern that is worrying the Brazilian public.



That was evident in Belo Horizonte on Saturday night, with screeches only matched in volume by gasps as their team lost momentum against a vibrant Chilean outfit, mirrored by sombre television commentary.



The head coach is all too aware that they are finding expectation levels tough to deal with and said after the penalty win: ‘If you don't exploit the few opportunities you get, you can go out.



‘We almost paid the price in the 118th minute when the ball hit the bar.



‘We had three or four chances to score a (second) goal and didn't do it. We had even possession and more shots on goal, but when you don't score you always run more of a risk.’



Going through: Head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was a relieved man as Brazil progressed in Belo Horizonte

Got down low: Goalkeeper Julio Cesar was the hero of the hour after saving two Chilean penalties VIDEO Brazil breathe a sigh of relief

Cesar – who was captured in tears even before the spot-kicks were taken - wasn’t quite as pragmatic as his boss in the aftermath, although did reiterate the enormous weight dumped at the door of the squad.



He said: ‘We had a good first half and created a lot of chances. After the equaliser Chile came into the game and made life hard for us. All we can do is thank the fans and our team-mates for keeping the faith.



‘There's huge pressure in representing our country, and it was tough on a psychological and emotional level. I got very emotional four years ago, and today I was crying again, but this time out of happiness.

