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Brazil sink Colombia after David Luiz thunderbolt proves decisive Brazil sink Colombia after David Luiz thunderbolt proves decisive
(about 9 hours later)
Where to start? It was another epic thriller and the thought does occur that Brazil are in danger of wearing us all out if they continue scraping at everyone’s nerves this way. It is both enthralling and exhausting and now they must clear their heads and get ready to do it all over again. They are, to borrow the line from Luiz Felipe Scolari, two steps from heaven, and they absolutely refuse to do it the straightforward way. Where to start? It was another epic thriller and the thought does occur that Brazil are in danger of wearing us all out if they continue scraping at everyone’s nerves this way. It is both enthralling and exhausting and now they must clear their heads and prepare to do it all over again. They are, to borrow the line from Luiz Felipe Scolari, two steps from heaven and they absolutely refuse to do it the straightforward way.
They had to survive some dreadfully fraught moments after James Rodríguez had scored his 80th-minute penalty but, terrifying as it became, they deserve their place in Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany. Brazil had played in the first half in the way the world wants Brazil to play. They had to find other qualities in that edgy finale but the defining image will be of David Luiz’s victory run after a once-in-a-lifetime free-kick. They had to survive some dreadfully fraught moments between James Rodríguez’s 80th-minute penalty and the final explosion of joy that told them they had reached the last four. Brazil had played in the first half in the way the world wants Brazil to play. They had to find other qualities in that tense, choppy finale and their methods – victory at any means, to put it bluntly – will not appeal to everyone, after a match that brought a tournament high of 54 fouls.
What a moment as well for Thiago Silva, scoring the opening goal after all the scrutiny surrounding his crying habits over the last few days. It ended as a bittersweet occasion for Silva, who will be suspended from the semi-final after one booking too many. There was also the disconcerting sight of Neymar being taken off on a stretcher after taking a knee to the back – ending his tournament, it subsequently emerged – but Silva was immense as the pressure strayed towards intolerable. Yet there was a lot more good than bad in a thrilling contest and, ultimately, it will not be the noise of the referee’s whistle for which this occasion is remembered. It will be David Luíz’s victory run after the immense free-kick that proved to be the decisive goal. Or the relentless noise of the crowd. Or those emotional scenes after the final whistle when Rodríguez broke down in tears and David Luíz abandoned his own celebrations to comfort him, signalling for the crowd to acclaim the Colombian.
His goal arrived in the seventh minute and served as a reminder to Colombia that, however refined they might be, any team who defend this generously at this level cannot expect to get away with it. Neymar swung over a corner from the left and the first group of players leaping for the ball were all a few inches too short. Silva had anticipated what might happen and was making his way to the far post. Carlos Sánchez, the nearest opponent, did not react and Silva jutted out his knee to score from inside the six-yard area. And no, this time there was not even a quiver of the bottom lip. What a moment as well for Thiago Silva, scoring the opening goal after all the scrutiny surrounding his captaincy, and the debate in the Brazilian media about whether they wanted a captain who ignored penalty shootouts and cried so frequently. It ended as a bittersweet occasion for Silva, who will be suspended from Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany after a silly booking in the second half. Yet he had played brilliantly. Nobody can question Brazil’s competitive courage now. They looked like a side that had heard the criticisms of Careca and Cafu and various other former Seleção players and wanted to turn the volume down on them.
The din when Brazil score is a rare noise: more an ambient scream than a guttural roar. The noise was still ringing in our ears when Juan Cuadrado’s deflected shot flew narrowly wide a few minutes later. Then Hulk had two decent chances in quick succession and already it was absolutely clear the occasion was going to be every bit as breathless, captivating and borderline hysterical as we could have dared to imagine. Occasionally it went too far. It was bizarre in the extreme that Fernandinho managed to evade a booking all night, and even more so that the Spanish referee, Carlos Carballo, did not produce a yellow card until the 64th minute. All the same, the Colombia manager, José Pekerman, made the point afterwards that it was the same for both sides. His team had flown into a few tackles of their own and after one of them, in which the defender Juan Zúñiga leapt knee-first into Neymar’s back with three minutes of normal time remaining, the Brazil forward was taken off on a stretcher. He has a broken vertebra and will play no further part in the tournament; Zuniga went unpunished.
David Luiz could be seen whipping up the crowd’s frenzy, hair bouncing, eyes boggling. The truth is the Estádio Castelão did not need any encouragement. When everything was going well it was a shrieking, whistling pit of yellow bias. When Colombia had the ball and Rodríguez was finding space, it was an anguished, plaintive howl. Put together, it made a rare and exhilarating combination of colour and noise. And then there was David Luiz, the footballer Gary Neville once described as being operated by a kid’s remote control, setting off on a 60-yard run, slaloming and kicking his way past opponents, and very nearly beating every single player who had the temerity to get in his way. José Mourinho would have substituted him. The Castelão roared its approval. It was bedlam. So Brazil will go to Belo Horizonte on Tuesday with their captain suspended and their best player injured. What they do have is momentum and incredible will. David Luíz could be seen whipping up the crowd, hair bouncing, eyes boggling. The truth is the Estádio Castelão did not need encouraging. When everything was going well it was a shrieking, whistling pit of yellow bias. When Colombia had the ball, it was an anguished, plaintive howl. Put together, it made an exhilarating combination of colour and noise.
Brazil will feel they had enough chances in the opening half to have soothed the crowd’s nerves. Hulk did just about everything but score. Maicon, preferred to Dani Alves as the attacking right-back, showed how daft it is for English audiences always to associate him with one miserable night against Gareth Bale. Oscar played with a licence to roam, rather than being permanently attached to the wing. Neymar, in the battle of the No10s, was more prominently involved than Rodríguez and Colombia would have been in serious trouble bar some desperate defending, some fine goalkeeping from David Ospina and the sometimes careless finishing of their opponents. Brazil looked like a side who had heard the criticisms of Careca and Cafu and various other former Seleção players and wanted anyone who had questioned their competitive courage to withdraw the accusation. And there, again, was David Luíz, the footballer Gary Neville once described as being operated by a kid’s remote control, setting off on a 60-yard run, slaloming and kicking his way past opponents, and very nearly beating every single player who had the temerity to get in his way. José Mourinho would have substituted him. The Castelão roared its approval. It was bedlam.
Fernandinho seemed too keen to spread the message at times, chopping down opponents with enough regularity to make it feel almost ludicrous that he managed to go the entire match without a booking. Silva’s goal arrived after only seven minutes and demonstrated to Colombia that, however refined they might be, any team that defends this generously at a World Cup cannot expect to get away with it. Neymar swung over a corner from the left and the first group of players leaping for the ball were all a few inches too short. Silva had anticipated what might happen and was making his way to the far post. Carlos Sánchez, the nearest opponent, did not react and Silva jutted out his knee to score. And no, this time there was not even a quiver of the bottom lip.
They did not let their opponents settle and perhaps that was a significant factor in why Colombia struggled for so long to find the fluency of previous appearances. The heat was sapping and the tempo did eventually slow. Yet the game was still played at a remarkable, lung-splitting pace, albeit broken up too often by the referee’s whistle. The din when Brazil score is a rare noise: more an ambient scream than a guttural roar. The noise was still ringing in our ears when Juan Cuadrado’s deflected shot for Colombia flew narrowly wide a few minutes later.
Carlos Carballo, the Spanish official, incensed Colombia with some decisions but Silva has only himself to blame for that moment, in the 64th minute, when he blocked Ospina from taking a quick kick and then stroked the loose ball into the net. The yellow card he picked up for his troubles was his second of the competition and that could hurt Brazil on Tuesday. Then Hulk had two decent chances in quick succession and, already, it was absolutely clear the occasion was going to be every bit as breathless, captivating and borderline hysterical as we could have dared to imagine.
A few minutes later the Colombia captain, Mario Yepes, scuffed in a shot from a scramble only for the goal to be disallowed for an offside in the buildup. But then came the moment when the pressure was released. Rodríguez had fouled Hulk and David Luiz struck the free-kick like someone kicking an inflatable ball on a windy beach. The ball lurched and swerved through the air and then suddenly dipped beneath the crossbar and the most expensive defender on the planet was off, sprinting to the corner flag, veins bulging. Scolari would later complain that, at 2-0, his team went looking for more goals rather than slowing down the game. “An avalanche on our team,” was his take on that period after Rodríguez’s sixth goal of the tournament, after the Brazil goalkeeper, Júlio César, had brought down the substitute Carlos Bacca. He was relieved, too, that an offside flag ruled out a goal for the Colombian captain, Mario Yepes, in those moments just after the hour when Brazil started showing the first signs of vulnerability.
Rodríguez’s sixth goal of the tournament, after Júlio César had brought down the substitute Carlos Bacca, changed the complexion again. No one, however, should question Brazil’s nerve now. But then came David Luíz again. Rodríguez had fouled Hulk and David Luíz struck the free-kick like someone kicking an inflatable on a windy beach. The ball lurched and swerved through the air and then suddenly dipped beneath the crossbar and the most expensive defender on the planet was off, sprinting to the corner flag, veins bulging, after the most important goal of his life.