Neymar will be out of the running for the rest of the World Cup after fracturing his third vertebra during the last minutes of the game against Colombia on Friday.

With less than five minutes left in the game, Neymar was kneed on the lower back by Colombia's Juan Camilla Zuniga. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground after which teammate David Luiz called for medics.

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Within minutes, the 22-year-old was carried out of the field on a stretcher and brought to a nearby hospital where tests showed the fracture.

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasma told media that the injury won't need surgery but that it would be very painful and will not be able to play during the World Cup.

"He will feel pain and his movement will be limited for a time. He will need to use a belt to control the pain and he will not be able to play within this upcoming week," he said.

But Lasma is positive that the recovery will go well.

"It is expected that he recovers because this type of fracture tends to evolve well," he added.

Meanwhile, Brazil said the team will feel the loss of Neymar on their upcoming match against Germany in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, especially with the suspension of team captain Thiago Silva who was given a yellow card during Friday's game.

"It's a situation that leaves us in a difficult position for the match against Germany," said coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. But he is optimistic that Brazil will perform well.

"We have great players and if I have to change something I will do it and we will be okay," he said.

World Cup enthusiasts also speculate the loss of the World Cup poster boy will be felt. The 22-year-old has been vital to the team, steadily providing a calming force that qualified Brazil for the semifinals since it won its fifth title 12 years ago.

Brazil won 2-1 against Colombia on Friday. The two goals were scored by the team's defenders, David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

Tagsneymar, Vertebra, Rodrigo Lasma, Juan Camilla Zuniga, Colombia, David Luiz, Thiago Silva