Brazil entered the 2014 FIFA World Cup as one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.
If the host nation wants to win its semifinal matchup against Germany, however, it will have to do so without two of its best players.
FIFA denied Brazilian defender Thiago Silva’s yellow card suspension appeal, ruling him out of Tuesday’s semifinal match, ESPN reported on Monday.
Silva received a yellow card for running into Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina in the second half of Brazil’s 2-1 quarterfinal win on Friday. It was the second card of the tournament for Silva, which under FIFA rules automatically disqualified him for his team’s next game.
Brazil appealed the booking given to their star defender over the weekend, but their challenge proved unsuccessful.
The Brazilians are already without superstar striker Neymar, who will miss the rest of the tournament after fracturing his vertebrae against Colombia.
With Neymar and Silva both sidelined, the host nation will have its hands full against a strong German team that has scored 10 goals while allowing just three in five games played at the World Cup.
Brazil and Germany will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Photo via Twitter/@SportsCenter
