A nation mourning its fallen hero

A semi-final showdown with Germany lies ahead tomorrow but Brazil is still wallowing in sadness after star man Neymar’s exit.

So then, a largely uneventful couple of days at the World Cup here in Brazil — apart from the assassination of JFK and the death of Lady Diana.

In a country where hype and football always rhyme, there were inescapably striking, almost eerie echoes of both events in the saturation coverage of Neymar’s abrupt and, it must be conceded, shocking exit from the tournament.