For Neymar! Scolari rallies Brazil to win for fallen star
Trust wily Luiz Felipe Scolari to turn bad news into a form of motivation.
Even though Brazil will face Germany in the World Cup semi-finals shorn of the services of injured star Neymar, the coach of the Selecao has asked his players to beat their opponents for their fallen comrade.
After shouldering the hopes of his country for the initial stages of the tournament, Neymar's World Cup was cut short when he fractured his third vertebra when Colombia's Juan Zuniga crashed into him in the quarter-finals.
Despite going into battle against the Germans without Neymar as well as suspended captain Thiago Silva, Scolari wants his team to pull together and do their bit for the sake of the Barcelona striker.
He said: "The way Neymar spoke to the players made them understand that he had done his share and now we need to do our share.
"Myself, the other players, all the Brazilian people. This match is very important, it could take us to the final.
"We are playing for our country, it is everything we imagined and dreamed of, and also for Neymar."
Neymar also shot a video motivating his team-mates. Here you can watch it with English subtitles.
Source: AFP
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