Against all odds, Brazil had a tough time against a Chile team that gave it all on the pitch at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. La Canarinha got an early lead, Chile fought back, and both teams ended even after 120 minutes. There had to be penalties to decide who would win and the greater accuracy of Brazil put them in the next round.
Chile started playing with a lot of personality and put some heavy pressure on Brazil’s defensive in the first minutes. However, La Roja’s defensive line was quite shaky and they struggled a lot with the aerial balls, something that Brazil used to score the first goal of the contest. A swinging corner from Neymar from the right side was nodded by Thiago Silva in the near post and back on the other end of the goal. David Luiz tipped it in to put the host nation on top.
Chile didn’t rattle and they continued to attack. Charles Aranguiz and Marcelo Diaz did what they could to control the ball in midfield and Arturo Vidal lacked his usual spark, so it was up to Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas to do something on offense and the duo did exactly that. A throw-in from the Brazilian caused a lost ball, Eduardo Vargas pounced on the rebound and passed it to Sanchez, who blasted a right-foot effort from close range to beat Julio Cesar, equalizing the match.
The score was 1-1 at halftime and there wasn’t a dominating side, a picture that was repeated throughout the second half. Neymar was the only dangerous player from Brazil and he was tightly guarded – Gary Medel and Francisco Silva did a stellar job containing the FC Barcelona star – but despite that, La Seleçao created several chances.
Hulk scored early into the second half only to see his goal being disallowed and Chile also had some interesting movements of their own, but neither side could beat the opposing goalie. The substitutions were all made with an attacking mindset – Jo replaced Fred and both Felipe Gutierrez and Mauricio Pinilla entered for Chile – but the 90 minutes ended with a 1-1 draw that sent the game to extra time.
The extra time saw two sides desperate to win but it also reflected that neither side had a lot left in the tank. Chile suffered the injury of Gary Medel nearing the end of the second half shortly after Jo missed a chance with a header from close range. However, Jorge Sampaoli’s men managed to create the better scoring chance nearing the end of the second extra time when a long range shot Mauricio Pinilla got past Julio Cesar but his effort rattled the crossbar. Howard Webb blew the whistle and the game was sent to penalties where the nervousness affected both teams.
David Luiz scored the first for Brazil, Pinilla missed for Chile and even though Willian – who replaced Oscar in the extra time – also missed, Alexis Sanchez saw his shot stopped by Julio Cesar to make it 0-1. Brazil converted their third penalty when Marcelo placed it home and Charles Aranguiz pulled one back for Chile before Hulk missed the penalty of his own. Marcelo Diaz equalized for Chile and Neymar gave Brazil the 3-2 advantage once again, so everything was going to be decided by Gonzalo Jara.
The defender tried to place the ball in the upper corner but the ball hit the post, danced all over the goal line and never got in. It was a disastrous ending for Chile but a happy one for Brazil as the host nation cheered and celebrated on the Minerao pitch after pulling out a win in what has been their toughest match of the competition.
Brazil moves into the quarterfinal round and they will face the winner of the Uruguay and Colombia game, a match scheduled to be played later on Saturday.. As for Chile, they couldn’t progress through the Round of 16 for the third consecutive World Cup. Unlike the other times, they can leave the tournament with a good feeling, perhaps knowing they are one step closer to make history in the international stages.