Brazil set to play Germany in the semifinals

With a lot of attitude and a bustling beginning at the Castelão Stadium, in Fortaleza, the Brazilian national team beat Colombia 2-1.

Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva scored the opener six minutes after the kickoff, and a more offensive Brazil kept fighting, in an attempt to increase their lead. In the 19th minute, Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina saved a shot by Hulk. Oscar recovered the ball, but Ospina kept it out yet again.

During the first half, Brazil and Colombia showed a save tally of five and two, respectively. After the halftime, both teams returned with similar tactics, with no great surprises on either side. In the 23rd minute of the second half, though, after a free-kick, Brazilian defender David Luiz pulled off a precise shot far from the area and scored for his team, as the ball flew over the wall and landed right into the net behind Ospina. Brazil 2, Colombia 0.

With a greater lead, Brazil’s victory seemed certain, until the 34th minute, when Bacca ran into the Brazilian area through the left, and goalkeeper Júlio Cesar knocked down the Colombian striker. Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo showed the Brazil's goalkeeper a yellow card, and gave Colombia a penalty. That was the 22-year-old Colombian striker’s chance to enhance his status as the World Cup’s top individual goalscorer, with a goal tally of six.

A hard-fought showdown

After their goal, Colombia’s performance improved considerably, and the squad seemed to take control of the final minutes of the match, which demanded a tough work from the Brazilian team in an attempt to avert a draw and escape the extra-time. The Spanish referee, whose work left much to be desired, added five minutes to the duel, which made its last moments even more dramatic, with Colombia desperately trying to equalize and Brazil making all possible efforts to seal their victory.

After a weak performance in the first half, in the second half the referee seemed stricter and gave a yellow card to Colombia’s Mario Yepes and James Rodríguez. The same happened to the Brazilian captain, following two instances of the foul from previous matches. He is therefore banned from playing in the upcoming duel with Germany.

Another downer for Brazilians was the contusion suffered towards the end by star Neymar, who was taken out of the field on a stretcher after being hit by a Colombian player.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira