Brazil moved to within two games of a record sixth World Cup title but at a cost.
While goals from defenders Thiago Silva and David Luiz in each half pushed the hosts past Colombia 2-1 last night in Fortaleza, Brazil’s leading scorer Neymar will probably miss the rest of the tournament. Brazil will take on Germany July 8 in a semifinal.
“He is out of the World Cup,” team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told reporters after the match.
Neymar, the 22-year-old Barcelona forward, left the field on a stretcher, and captain Silva will be banned for the next match at a yellow card for a challenge on the Colombia goalkeeper.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has promised the country a title in the soccer tournament’s July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium. That’s where Brazil lost a chance for a title 64 years ago when it lost to Uruguay, and the pain of the loss remains a part of the national psyche. Scolari said the team is two steps from heaven.
“There were seven steps at the start,” he told reporters after the game. “We’ve climbed five and there are two more in front of us. We still have capacity to climb up those two.”
The pressure has told on some members of the Brazil squad. Former players had been critical of the emotional response shown by the team, particularly during and after a penalty shootout win over Chile in the last round. Carlos Alberto, who lifted the World Cup trophy as captain of the 1970 team, told the current roster to “stop crying.” Scolari has enlisted the help of sport psychologists to calm his squad.
Colombia Comeback
Against Colombia, the team was able to hold on as the opponents mounted a late onslaught following James Rodriguez’s penalty ten minutes before the end.
“When we conceded the goal that obviously causes lack of calm and a whole avalanche on our team,” Scolari said.
The game was billed as a contest between Neymar, who had four goals in four previous games, and Colombia’s Rodriguez, who came into the game as the tournament’s top scorer, and who was only a day old when Colombia last beat Brazil. Neymar was carried from the field five minutes before the end and Rodriguez, also 22, left in tears, with his sixth World Cup goal not enough to force extra time.
Neymar is unlikely to be fit for the Germany game on July 8 after being kneed in the back by Juan Zuniga.
“He was crying in pain,” Scolari said. “I can guarantee it won’t be easy for him to recover. It won’t be easy based on what doctor told us and the pain he’s in.”
Big Crowd
Brazil supporters arrived early at the stadium, where a giant Brazilian flag was hoisted up between two cranes. Like they did during previous games, fans and players continued singing the national anthem long after the music had stopped.
Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos was in the stadium after declaring the afternoon as a “civic day” to allow public sector employees a chance to watch the game. On the streets in the country’s largest cities Medellin and capital Bogota thousands thronged to the street, most sporting the team’s yellow jersey.
The first half was played at a frenetic pace as Spanish referee Carlos Carballo allowed several fouls to go unpunished. Thiago Silva struck in the seventh minute when Neymar’s corner missed several players and reached Silva, who used his knee to get the ball in the net.
“It was a quick goal in this match and that is always key,” Colombia’s Argentine coach Jose Pekerman said. “It allowed Brazil to calm down and to enjoy better moments.”
Defensive Weakness
While Brazil surged forward at every opportunity and created several chances -- Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina saved three times from forward Hulk -- Scolari’s team had defensive problems.
Only a block from Silva stopped a three-on-one counterattack that tied the match at halftime.
The game turned in a matter of moments in the 64th minute, when Carballo finally produced a card, booking Silva after the game’s 40th foul. The defender will miss the game with Germany through suspension.
Shortly after Colombia captain Mario Yepes had a goal disallowed for offside, Luiz struck with a long swerving free kick. He ran to the sidelines in celebration with his eyes bulging and the veins in his neck pumping.
“I struck the ball at exactly the point where you can hit it and make it difficult for the goalkeeper,” he said.
Rodriguez Scores
To Scolari’s annoyance, his team was unable keep Colombia off the scoreboard. Rodriguez’s sent goalkeeper Julio Cesar the wrong way from the penalty spot after Cesar felled substitute Carlos Bacca. President Santos, sat next to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, pumped both his fist after the ball hit the net.
“Sometimes you have to take a moment to slow the game down a bit, to hold the ball, not run out to make three when the score is 2-0,” he said. “You don’t need to do that. That game is won.”
Brazil held on, and it was left to Luiz to console Rodriguez, who was in tears at the games finish. The Colombia forward’s six goals were more than the entire team had managed in the World Cups of 1994 and 1998, the last time it made the finals.
“He has tried to do his best in a hard match and this is an elimination which no doubt leaves one of the best players out of the World Cup,” Pekerman said. “Players like him dream about being able to continue to show what he can do.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Tariq Panja in Fortaleza, Brazil at tpanja@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net
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