i feel like im taking crazy pills...but i just feel like there is no way neymar broke a vertebra from being kneed in the back. maybe it was from a) the impact with the pitch, b) the handling afterwards, c) some combination of all, or d) just a crock of balogna; idk. and i cant find any footage of it happening in real time, or one of the 30 slo mo replays they had on espn right after it happened. from the front it looked like he got hit in the back, but i feel like the side, or rear camera angles showed he didnt even get kneed, much less with the force youd need to break a guys back.
d) seems like a stretch, cos why would they want to hurt their chances to win on home soil, right? idk..seems very unlikely, even in a sport full of divers.
c) seems more likely since i dont think the knee would have the power to break a vertebra, if it can be shown there was even a lot of contact. but maybe it weakened it or put it in a bad position right before contact with hard earth. also it didnt seem like they supported his back very well getting him onto their version of a stretcher, and he was definitely bounced around a bit being taken off the field. so could have turned a smaller injury into a full break. makes me wonder if those are all real doctors/paramedics on the sidelines or not. and what, if any, protocol fifa has for such situations.
in any case, hope nederlands steps it up. nerve wracking having them go to pks