FORTALEZA, Brazil -- Not long after celebrating another all

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FORTALEZA, Brazil -- Not long after celebrating another all-important win at the World Cup, Brazil was jolted by the loss of Neymar. . The tournaments poster boy with the dyed-blonde fauxhawk fractured a vertebra in his back during Brazils 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia on Friday. The injury has ruled the striker out of the rest of the competition, dealing a massive blow to the teams chances of finally winning a World Cup at home. Brazil advanced to the semifinals for the first time in 12 years, with the goals coming from defenders Thiago Silva and David Luiz. But the jubilation was quickly tempered when Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Neymar broke his third vertebrae and is expected to be out for several weeks, ruling him out of Tuesdays semifinal match against Germany in Belo Horizonte. "Its a situation that leaves us in a difficult position for the match against Germany," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "But we have great players and if I have to change something I will do it and we will be OK." The 22-year-old Neymar has been the focal point of both the Brazilian team and the entire World Cup, and he lived up to expectations with four goals in the first three matches. But he took a knee to the back late in the match against Colombia at the Arena Castelao in a collision with Juan Camilo Zuniga. The Brazilian star was crying in pain as he was carried off the field, and was taken to a private clinic. He has since been released. "He will not be in condition to play, he will need a few weeks to be fit again," said Lasmar, the team doctor. "He is very, very sad." The foul on Neymar came toward the end of one of the dirtiest games of the tournament as Brazil committed 31 fouls and Colombia had 23. Brazil will also be without Silva for Tuesdays match against Germany. The captain must sit out after getting his second yellow card of the tournament after impeding Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina. Brazil, which is trying to become the first host to win the World Cup since France in 1998, had been eliminated in the quarterfinals at the last two tournaments. The "Selecao" lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in 2010 and to France in 2006 after winning its fifth title in 2002. Back in 1950, Brazil needed only a draw in the final match to win the World Cup, but the team lost to Uruguay in a match known as the "Maracanazo." This time around, Brazil won its group and then beat Chile on penalties in the second round. On Friday against Colombia, Silva gave Brazil the lead in the seventh minute, scoring with his left knee after a corner from Neymar passed through the Colombian defence. He celebrated the goal by pointing to the emblem on his jersey and shouting, "This is Brazil, this is Brazil." Luiz added the second from a free kick in the 69th, side-footing a long-range shot into the top of the net. Colombia got one back in the 80th. James Rodriguez scored his tournament-leading sixth goal from the penalty spot after Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar brought down substitute Carlos Bacca inside the area. Rodriguez tried to control the pace of the match, but it was Brazil that created most of the scoring chances as Ospina had to make a series of saves in the first half alone. The Colombians tried to pressure after Rodriguezs late penalty, but Brazil held on with solid defending. Colombia, playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and in the quarterfinals for the first time ever, had entered the match after scoring 11 goals, second only to the Netherlands. "After not playing in the World Cup for so long, we were able to show the value of the Colombian football and the talent of some of our players," said Colombia coach Jose Pekerman, an Argentine. "They showed great spirit and presence of mind. They came to play a great World Cup, not just to participate." There was a lot of talk about Rodriguez and Neymar before the match, but the 22-year-old forwards didnt really deliver in Fortaleza. Rodriguez scored the late penalty but was otherwise mostly ineffective, as was Neymar before he left on a stretcher. . -- Novak Djokovic benefited from an erroneous call and claimed he didnt realize he had broken the rules. .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs.(SportsNetwork.com) - The disappointing Ottawa Senators hope to record consecutive wins for the first time since early November, as they visit the Boston Bruins on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series. The Senators halted a three-game slide just before the Christmas break, shocking the Pittsburgh Penguins in Mondays rout at Canadian Tire Centre. The Penguins had won seven in a row heading into the meeting, but left Ottawa with a 5-0 loss. Erik Karlsson collected a goal and two assists and Craig Anderson posted a 27- save shutout, as Ottawa slammed the visiting Pens. Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Zack Smith and Cory Conacher each lit the lamp once in the blowout. "Everybody came to play," Anderson said. "We grinded it out and we made it hard on them. We did the things we need to do to give ourselves a chance to win the game." Sens forward Mika Zibanejad missed Mondays game with an upper-body injury, but he could be back for this evenings tilt in Beantown. Zibanejad has eight goals and seven assists in 29 games for Ottawa this season. Ottawa will try to build off Mondays triumph by recording consecutive wins tonight for the first time since a three-game run from Nov. 5-9. Paul MacLeans club has battled inconsistency all season long and the Sens enter this home-and-home set in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, trailing first-place Boston by 15 points. The Sens did manage to record a win in their only meeting with Boston this season, as the Bruins fell 4-2 at Ottawa on Nov. . 15. Jason Spezza tallied a goal and an assist for Ottawa and Anderson stopped 30 shots for the win. It marked the second straight win for the Sens over Boston following a five- game slide in the series. The Bruins still have claimed 13 of the past 16 meetings overall and have won six of the last eight encounters at TD Garden. Boston, which will make the return trip to Ottawa on Saturday, is aiming for a third straight win tonight after outscoring the opposition by a 10-3 margin over its last two outings. After downing the visiting Sabres by a 4-1 count last Saturday, the Bs posted a 6-2 triumph Monday night in Nashville. Jarome Iginla scored twice as Boston used a terrific special teams effort to subdue the Predators in Music City. Boston went 3-for-3 on the power play en route to winning for the seventh time in its last nine games. Reilly Smith and Carl Soderberg each recorded a goal and two assists for the Bruins, while Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots for the victory. The win was the 400th in Claude Julien career as a head coach. Julien has recorded 281 of those victories with the Bruins. "You hope as a coach that theres lots more ahead for you," Julien said. Boston is 15-3-2 as the host this season and has won seven straight on home ice. The Senators are 7-7-3 as the visiting team and have dropped three in a row on the road. ' ' '

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