magiadoreal

It was an epic contest and, when it was all done, the final explosion of joy and bedlam told us Brazil had made it to the quarter-finals and the World Cup would not have to go on without its hosts. Chile had given everything but, ultimately, it all came back to that moment, at 2-2 in the penalty shootout, with one player left on each team. Neymar, superstar, kissed the ball, shuffled his feet and put his shot in the corner. Gonzalo Jara hit the post and Brazil, finally, could breathe. They had made it difficult for themselves after taking the lead courtesy of Jara’s own goal, which was credited to David Luiz, in the first half and the referee, Howard Webb, might have needed a wig to leave the country if Chile had been more accurate from 12 yards. Webb, from a poor vantage point , denied Brazil an early penalty when Hulk went down under Mauricio Isla’s challenge and, more controversially, disallowed a second-half goal from the same player. It was not a controversy tha...