Germany will take on Brazil in the semi-finals at Belo Horizonte on July 8 and Flick felt the hosts have other players to compensate for Neymar's loss. He said on the fringes of his team's training on Santo Andre that it is regrettable that a world-class player like Neymar was knocked out of the World Cup.
Neymar's vertebra was fractured after he was kneed from behind by Colombia's Juan Camilo Zuniga during Friday's pre-quarter match. The 22-year-old, who scored four goals in five matches, was taken off in stretcher and was taken to a local hospital following which the unfortunate news was announced. Brazil, though, won the match 2-1 to make the World Cup semifinals after a gap of 12 years.
Neymar suffered a broken vertebra after a nasty foul by a Colombian player
The semifinal clash between the two titans will only be the second in the history of the quadrennial tournament. Brazil had beaten Germany 2-0 in the final of the 2002 edition to lift their fifth title.
Many former and current German players, too, expressed their displeasure with the foul that knocked Neymar out of the tournament.
Brazil will also miss the service of Thiago Silva, who was shown a yellow card for running into the Colombian goalkeeper.
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