Brazil’s Neymar is out of World Cup after breaking vertebra

Brazil’s bid to win a sixth World Cup has suffered a devastating blow after Neymar was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after fracturing a bone in his back during the quarter-final victory against Colombia.
The Barcelona striker was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after taking a knee to the back from the Colombia defender Juan Zuniga late in the game.
He was taken to a private clinic in Fortaleza – “crying out in pain”, according to the Brazil manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, – where an X-ray revealed

Lionel Messi hat-trick gives Barcelona victory over Real Madrid

With six minutes to go Lionel Messi struck a penalty high into the top corner of the Real Madrid net to complete a hat-trick and the scoring in an astonishing match that left the title race wide open once again. Just a solitary point now separates these two great rivals. Yet while the biggest game in Spain concluded with a new league leader, it was neither of them. Atlético Madrid are top.
All three contenders stand within a point of each other in a fascinating run-in that concludes with Barcelona-Atlético at the Camp Nou. Madrid's "other team" are top on head-to-head over Real, while Barcelona are a point behind the capital's clubs. The defending may not