David Luiz thundered home one of the World Cup’s finest goals as Brazil progressed to the semi-finals, disposing of Colombia in an enthralling battle.
However, the 2-1 victory was tinged with concern after star man Neymar left the field on a stretcher in the closing stages.
Brazil will be sweating on their star man’s fitness ahead of their semifinal against Germany, which captain Thiago Silva will definitely miss after incurring a suspension for his booking at the Estadio Castelao.
The skipper played a key role in the Selecao’s progression in Fortaleza, though, defending resolutely after opening the scoring inside seven minutes.
It was a lead Brazil worked hard to extend and, having seen a Mario Yepes goal ruled out for offside, they struck with aplomb midway through the second half when Luiz sent home an outstanding 35-yard free kick.
James Rodriguez, the competition’s top scorer, added to his haul with a penalty but Brazil rode out a nervy final 10 minutes to progress.
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Germany secured a familiar World Cup semifinal berth with a minimum of fuss as French hopes of avenging past injustices shrivelled and died in the Maracana.
This is the fourth World Cup in a row that Germany have reached the last four of the tournament, and France had little answer to Mats Hummels’ 13th-minute header.
Germany always looked comfortable with the slender lead and it was Joachim Low’s side who came closest to scoring again before settling for a 1-0 result.
This was far from the classic that had been hoped for — indeed, it was one of the more turgid affairs of this consistently excellent tournament.
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