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The 22-year-old striker was carted off on a stretcher and taken directly to the hospital after being kneed in the back by Colombia's Juan Zuniga.

Rodrigo Lasmar, Brazil's team doctor, later confirmed that Neymar suffered a fractured vertebra from the result of the collision late in the quarterfinal match versus Colombia, which Brazil went on to win, 2-1.

"Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to play," said Lasmar to Brazil's SportTV, according to BBC News. "It's not serious in the sense that it doesn't need surgery, but he'll need to immobilize it to recover."

Neymar has played in all give of Brazil's matches at this summer's World Cup and is the team's leading goal-scorer with four goals. Brazil is scheduled to take on Germany in the World Cup semi-final match on Tuesday, July 8th.