Brazil through as Chile pay penalty

Brazil survived a huge scare to edge past Chile into the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. A titanic second-round battle in Belo Horizonte saw Brazil beat Chile 3-2 on penalties after the South American rivals finished extra-time locked at 1-1. Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was the hero, saving twice in a nerve-shredding shoot-out before Chile defender Gonzalo Jara’s final spot-kick struck the post to hand the hosts victory. The penalty drama unfolded after a pulsating game at the Mineirao Stadium which saw Chile almost snatch victory in the closing minutes of extra-time when substitute Mauricio Pinilla’s shot crashed back off the woodwork. ‘If you don’t exploit the few opportunities you get, you can go out,’ relieved Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said afterwards. Brazil, roared on by their partisan support, started strongly, taking the lead through a goal credited to David Luiz after 18 minutes. Neymar swung a corner in from the left and the Paris Saint-Germain defender rose to turn the ball into the net. But Chile came back and equalised after 32 minutes, Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez punishing slack play in the penalty area to slot past Cesar. In the shoot-out, both teams missed spot-kicks to leave Neymar as Brazil’s fifth and final penalty-taker. The Brazilian poster-boy duly tucked away his penalty to make it 3-2 and when Jara missed, the hosts celebrated. The Brazilians will now play Colombia in the quarter-finals in Fortaleza on Friday, according to AFP.