Video by Cedar Attanasio; produced/translated by Ben Tavener

SÃO PAULO – Just hours after Brazil secured its place in the World Cup semifinals the news broke that the country’s golden boy, Neymar Jr, who had been stretchered off during the quarterfinal clash against Colombia, had fractured a vertebra and would miss the rest of the tournament.

We asked Brazilian fans on Avenida Paulista how they thought their team had fared, and what the country would do without its rising star on the pitch.

See photos and video from the São Paulo Fan Fest during the quarterfinal clash