Quarter Finals
Brazil 2 Colombia 1
Daily Mail UK, 4 July 2014
Quote:
Match Zone
Brazil: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Thiago Silva, Luiz, Marcelo, Fernandinho, Paulinho, Oscar, Neymar, Hulk, Fred.
Subs: Jefferson, Dani Alves, Dante, Maxwell, Henrique, Ramires, Hernanes, Willian, Bernard, Jo, Victor.
Colombia: Ospina, Zuniga, Zapata, Yepes, Armero, Guarin, Sanchez Moreno, Cuadrado, Rodriguez, Ibarbo, Gutierrez.
Subs: Vargas, Arias, Carbonero, Aguilar, Mejia, Balanta, Bacca, Ramos, Quintero, Martinez, Valdes, Mondragon.
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)
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FULL-TIME: Brazil 2-1 Colombia
90+4min: Huge whistles from the home crowd now as they call for full-time. Brazil are hanging on as Ospina comes to attack a free-kick for Colombia
90+1min: There will be five added minutes as Colombia throw everything at Brazil. Rodriguez again goes down appealing or a penalty and looks furious when he isn't given another.
Brazil substitution
88min: It's another sly foul, and the referee's liberal approach to this game has led to Neymar being carried off the pitch injured in my view.
Zuniga rather cowardly digs his knee into Neymar's lower back and it leads to Brazil's star man going off in some pain on a stretcher. Henrique replaces him. Not even a foul was called following the incident.
Brazil substitution
86min: Brazil are camped inside their own half now, as they make another change in sending on Hernanes for Paulinho.
Spot on: James Rodriguez of Colombia shoots and scores his team's first goal
Hope restored: Colombia's midfielder James Rodriguez celebrates scoring a penalty
Brazil substitution
83min: First change for what is suddenly a nervous Brazil side as Hulk is replaced by Ramires.
GOAL! Brazil 2-1 COLOMBIA
80min: Game on.
James Rodriguez stutters in his run up, but after converting his
penalty becomes the first player since Rivaldo in 2002 to score in the first five World Cup games of a tournament. It's his sixth of the tournament.
It's another change for Colombia as Juan Quintero replaces Cuadrado.
PENALTY (Colombia)
Julio Cesar is booked after Rodriguez loses Luiz and runs on to a through ball inside the box before being wiped out by the keeper. Colombia are furious as they think it should be a red card - but they do have an avenue back into this game.
From Sportsmail's Matt Barlow in Fortaleza
'Noise levels are up in the Castelao. Brazil fans seem to think they’re into the last four. Hard to disagree on the basis that all Colombia goals which can be ruled out will be ruled out.'
Dive in vain: Colombia's goalkeeper David Ospina is beaten by a shot from Brazil's David Luiz
73min: The cards are flowing now as Yepes is cautioned for Colombia. Brazil have shown an incredibly physical approach to this game, but with a 2-0 lead you can't fault them for it so far.
Colombia substitution
70min: Change for Colombia who are staring at a World Cup exit now as Carlos Bacca replaces Teofilo Gutierrez.
GOAL! BRAZIL 2-0 Colombia
69min: What a costly foul from Rodriguez. It immediately catches the eye of
David Luiz who with plenty of topspin buries home the set-piece from 25 yards into the top corner.
The former Chelsea defender runs off to celebrate showing passion I haven't seen from a footballer since Stuart Pearce scored for England in the penalty shootout against Spain at Euro 96.
67min: Colombia have the ball in the back of the net, but after Mario Yepes scores following a goalmouth scramble in the six-yard box, his celebrations are cut by an offside flag.
Meanwhile Rodriguez, who has been kicked of the park, is booked for a late sliding tackle on Hulk.
64min: FINALLY! The first yellow card is produced after Silva is cautioned for blocking Ospina's goal kick. It's a stupid booking too as it rules him out of the semi-final should Brazil get there
62min: Good, now we will get our first yellow card as Neymar is stupidly barged over by Cuadrado...nope...the referee has again opted to not use his cards. This is incredible!
From former World Cup referee and Sportsmail's Graham Poll
'I've been waiting for the weak refereeing to ruin a game and here it is. Brazil looking like Holland from 2010 final. This is not the beautiful game and Spanish ref is doing nothing. He might as well not be there.'
Battle: Fernandinho (left) of Brazil tackles Fredy Guarin of Colombia
59min: I'm not too sure if the referee even wants to give fouls any more let alone yellow cards.
Silva is late with his lunge on Ramos, but somehow avoids conceding a foul - although he does tack a slight knock to his ankle in doing so.
Colombia try to put football back into the game but as Rodriguez tees up a volley like he scored against Uruguay, he instead lays a pass off to Guarin who blasts way over.
56min: The coaches, defensive ones, were probably having kittens during the first half and they have certainly had a say at half-time.
Both teams are defending with a little more organisation now, but sadly it's taken away from the end-to-end barnstorming attacking drama from the first period. More playground football please.
53min: Poor refereeing...no, make that awful refereeing. Neymar clips a worked set-piece into the penalty box which Cristian Zapata rises highest in front of Luiz to clear behind for.
It's good defending, which gets bonus rewards when confusingly a goal kick is given.
Art of attacking: Neymar of Brazil and Juan Zuniga of Colombia compete for the ball
51min: It would be very sad to see Rodriguez bow out of this World Cup without making some sort of meaningful contribution to this game.
The forward is trying though, spinning cleverly on the ball before his through pass just fails to find a team-mate as Julio Cesar collects.
48min: Still the challenges come in but no robust ones in this half as yet as Luiz somehow evades conceding a foul after tripping Ramos.
SECOND-HALF: Brazil restart as Colombia make a change
Victor Ibarbo has been replaced by Adrian Ramos as
Colombia search for an avenue back into this match.
Foot loose: Brazil's midfielder Fernandinho (left) raises a high foot to Colombia's James Rodriguez
Neymar vs James Rodriguez - the half-time stats
It looks like Brazil's star man slightly has the edge in the battle between the two No. 10s
Chaos rules in Fortaleza as Brazil lead 1-0 in a half which somehow didn't have many more goals.
And any cards for that matter. It's been wild at times, but the challenges are becoming more robust and to at least set the bar, the referee is going to have to produce a card at some point.
Sticking to the football, Brazil deservedly lead a game where there appears to be little attacking discipline
HALF-TIME: Brazil 1-0 Colombia
44min: Nope. We are no closer to seeing a set-piece special as Neymar curls across goal and wide of the top corner. Ospina was rooted to the spot but I don't know if it's because he already knew it wasn't troubling his net.
On another note, I'm starting to wonder if the referee has forgotten his cards as Zuniga escapes a booking after raising his studs to Hulk's knee, while Fernandinho produces his new party trick of avoiding yellows by after a clumsy challenge on Rodriguez.
43min: It's about time we saw a decent free-kick so right on cue, Neymar wins a free-kick just left of centre after being tripped by Juan Zuniga.
40min: Wow, this half has zipped by. I'm quite astonished it's only 1-0, but from a sporting contest it's pleasing to see Colombia are getting back into this after a very nervous start.
Missing man: James Rodriguez (centre) of Colombia failed to influence large moments of the first half as he is tackled by Fernandinho of Brazil
37min: Rodriguez's free-kick is easily cleared though as the Brazil defence, which encroached by about five yards, managed to block his shot.
34min: Defences still look a little slapstick from both teams as Armero's cross picks out an unmarked Cuadrado at the back post.
The Colombia midfielder fails properly control the ball, but Colombia do win a free-kick after Fernandinho is penalised for raising a high foot on the edge of the box.
From Sportsmail's Matt Barlow in Fortaleza
'Colombia bench not happy at Luiz there. They felt he went too far in his pursuit of Zapata. No replay of that incident form the Brazilian telly.'
The defender certainly seemed to leave some 'afters' in what was an off-the-ball incident. I'd like to see it again as the real-time showing didn't show a great angle of it.
28min: And the Brazil bombardment continues. Hulk's clever reverse pass finds Marcelo in space on the edge of the box, but his sliced shot across the target is helped over the crossbar by the Fred.
Marcelo is soon involved again, this time playing a clever volley cut-back for Hulk who, in clear space, can only again fire across goal with Ospina parrying to safety.
This game could so easily be about 5-2 to Brazil given the chances we have had.
Case for the defence: David Luiz of Brazil challenges Teofilo Gutierrez of Colombia
25min: This game is everything that France vs Germany wasn't! Brazil counter down the right but after the ball is fed into Paulinho inside the box, the Spurs midfielder fails to get his shot away as he is shackled by a Colombia defender.
From FIFAWorldCup on Twitter
22min: What an interception from Silva! Colombia finally show the attacking venom that's got them into the quarter-finals as they break forward but an attempted square pass into the box is crucially intercepted by the Brazil goal scorer. What a start to the game he has had.
20min: If ever a side looked like they were choking on the big occasion. Colombia are playing like a side totally in their shell in the first 20 minutes. Rodriguez can hardly get an attacking touch on the ball.
But then Brazil are flying! Hulk collects a short pass from Neymar as he runs into the box, before his shot is well parried clear by David Ospina who again has to react to keep out Oscar's long range effort.
Losing it: Neymar (left) slipped over as he celebrated Brazil's opening goal
16min: I'm starting to wonder what Fernandinho has to do to get booked in this tournament. The Manchester City defender was extremely fortunate not to get a yellow card in the last game against Chile and he somehow evades punishment here after a needless barge into James Rodriguez.
13min: Trailing Brazil in Brazil is a huge mountain to climb, but not an impossible one.
The Brazil defence has looked far from certain during this tournament and Juan Cuadrado picks up a loose ball on the edge of the box before firing just wide of the near post.
10min: Well I hope the free-kicks improve at some point this evening. Now Colombia have a set-piece 25 yards out but Fredy Guarin's effort is even worse than Neymar's as he strikes miles off target.
Caught napping: Thiago Silva peels off Carlos Sanchez to score Brazil's opening goal
10min: Well I hope the free-kicks improve at some point this evening. Now Colombia have a set-piece 25 yards out but Fredy Guarin's effort is even worse than Neymar's as he strikes miles off target.
GOAL! BRAZIL 1-0 Colombia
7min: Fortaleza erupts, Colombia collapse and Brazil have the lead! From a corner, Neymar curls a lofted cross towards the far post where
Thiago Silva casually loses his marker Carlos Sanchez to tap home from close range.
5min: Expectation builds as Fred wins a cheap free-kick out of Carlos Sanchez 25 yards out, but Neymar disappoints by curling a weak set-piece wide of the post. I'm sure that won't be the last we will see of him...
Fouled: Brazil's forward Fred (right) reacts after he is failed by Colombia's Carlos Sanchez
From Sportsmail's Neil Ashton in Fortaleza
'An atmosphere like you cannot believe here in Fortaleza. The Brazil fans haven’t stopped singing since the teams walked out for the national anthems. Incredible.'
3min: Brazil have looked to build up play on the right early on, with Neymar drifting over to take on Pablo Armero.
It's Paulinho who is the first Brazil player chasing a pass down the flank though, but his attempted low cross is blocked by Mario Yepes.
Save the best to last: Neymar (left) and Hulk of Brazil take the field before kick-off
Sending out a message: Colombia and Brazil players stand behind a FIFA banner before the start of the game
In standard fashion now, Brazil walk out with a hand on the shoulder of the player in front as they are greeted by huge cheers from the local fans as the sun sets over the Estadio Castelao.
Be prepared for quite a booming national anthem from Brazil, but first, both captains will read out an anti-discrimination message - much like the France vs Germany game earlier.
Grow into the shirt: A Brazil fan holds a Hulk doll prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Quarter Final match, in support of striker Hulk
FIXTURES (ALL TIMES showing are US.ET)