It's Day 17 of the World Cup in Brazil and the host country Brazil has avoided a humiliating elimination with a 3-2 penalty shootout win against Chile following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
And it wasn't Neymar, the country's poster boy for this year's World Cup, that played the key role this time. It was goalkeeper Julio Cesar, the country's scapegoat from the last World Cup, who made several crucial saves and even got some help from the woodwork in a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Chile. With the score level at 1-1 on Saturday, Brazil was inches away from an early exit when Chile forward Mauricio Pinilla hit the crossbar in the final moments of extra time.
Rodriguez double fires Colombia into quarterfinals |
Also on Saturday, Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0. Rodriguez scored one of the best goals of the tournament and added a second to put Colombia into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time - setting up a meeting with the host nation. Rodriguez added to his growing list of memorable moments in Brazil when he gave his team the lead with a long-range volley as he turned in the 28th minute. He scored the second from close range shortly after the break as Colombia dominated a Uruguay side that sorely missed banned striker Luis Suarez.