Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Fortaleza: Defenders Thiago Silva and David Luiz supplied the goals as 2014 FIFA World Cup hosts Brazil advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Colombia in Friday's frenetic last-eight fixture in Fortaleza.
The Brazilian captain took advantage of some lax Colombian defending to open the scoring from Neymar's corner before his new Paris Saint Germain team-mate David Luiz (pictured) doubled the lead with a stunning second-half free-kick.
James Rodriguez took his tally to a Brazil 2014-leading sixth with a late penalty as Colombia put in a much improved performance after the interval only to see their efforts go unrewarded.
The pre-match build up centred around the potential impact of the two South American giants' respective superstars with Neymar going head-to-head with the tournament's leading scorer Rodriguez in the hype stakes.
And while Brazil's number 10 was involved in the opening goal at the Estadio Castelao the deadlock was broken by the unlikely source of Thiago Silva, when slack marking in the Colombian defence enabled the unmarked Selecao skipper to bundle home Neymar's corner and give the tournament hosts a seventh-minute lead.
Colombia keeper David Ospina did well to keep out Hulk's 20th minute effort after the former Kawasaki Frontale, Consadole Sapporo and Tokyo Verdy forward had been put through on goal by Neymar before Ospina had to get down sharply to keep out another Hulk effort seven minutes later.
The early goal had clearly rattled the Colombians and the free-flowing brand of football that had saw Los Cafeteros score 11 in times in their Brazil 2014 campaign appeared to desert them as they struggled to create inroads into a solid Brazilian back line.
Their frustration was evident in the number of tetchy fouls committed and the constant contesting of every decision from referee Roberto Fernandez that didn't go their way but it was a Brazilian that would become the first to go into the Spanish official's notebook when Thiago Silva suffered a rush of blood to the head in the 64th minute and foolishly prevented Ospina kicking the ball out to earn his second yellow card of the tournament and a suspension for the semi-final.
Two minutes later Colombia skipper Mario Yepes had the ball in the net following a goalmouth melee only for the goal to be controversially ruled out before things got worse for Jose Pekerman's side when David Luiz doubled Brazil's lead with a stunning free-kick that flew past Ospina and into back of the net despite the best efforts of the Nice keeper.
Colombia were handed a lifeline in the 78th minute when goalkeeper Julio Cesar upended substitute Carlos Bacca, a 70th minute replacement for Teofilo Gutierrez, allowing James Rodriguez, who was harshly adjudged to have fouled Hulk which earned Brazil the free-kick from which the scored the second, to score his sixth goal of the campaign from the penalty spot.
The goal inspired a frenetic finish in Fortazela but Colombia couldn't find the goal that would force extra time as Brazil held on to set up a semi-final showdown with Germany.
Photo: AFP