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Everyday won't be Saturday

Al-Amin
How do we define Brazil's victory over Chile in a hear-stopping last 16 match at Belo Horizonte on Saturday? The best we can do is to portray a picture of Julio Cesar at full stretch reaching for the ball, which fortunately for Brazil, struck the post and a relieved Selecaos lived to fight another day. Yes, Brazil needed that kind of luck, not once but twice, to cross the Chile hurdle in an explosive opening Round of 16 match. Cesar was a mere spectator when a Mauricio Pinilla thunder strike hit the upper-right bar with the end of extra time only 90 seconds away. And that could have easily sealed a famous victory for Chile. The South American lightweights were again denied by the woodwork in the nail-biting shootout when Gonzalo Jara's fifth and decisive kick struck the post. And the moment the ball struck the post and dribbled away the Brazilians reacted in a way as if they have just come out of a prison term in which they served for a seemingly endless 120 odd minutes. For the Chileans it was a sudden death. And their emotions were perhaps best described by a class VIII student Tahsin Rashid: "The tears that rolled down the Chilean cheeks felt like acid. The sting was as powerful as the throb of a bullet ant. The pain was an after-effect of the missed penalty by Gonzalo: the penalty which will haunt him for the rest of his life and the penalty which broke 18 million Chilean hearts.”
It was a match people will remember for years to come; the way Chile fought and pushed Brazil to the edge. For Brazil it was yet another painstaking display, apart from the first 15 minutes when they displayed the aggression and hunger associated with the five-time world champions. But it died down with the progress of the game and to be frank, it was anything but complacency from a team where everyone looked inept. The defence was again vulnerable against the fleetfooted Chilean attack and the goal Brazil conceded was a classic example of childish defensive error. The biggest strength for Brazil had been their wingbacks and the presence of a midfield general that controls the game. But these three ingredients are missing in the present Brazil line-up. They have three midfielders one can easily find in an average team. Luiz Felipe Scolari also has a bench full of average players. One wanders what would happen if Neymar picks up another yellow card. In a Brazil side no one has ever bothered who is actually standing under the bar because the gentleman often plays the role of a bystander. But thankfully they have got a world class goalkeeper in Julio Cesar, who saved the day for the hosts with one outstanding save during the match and two in the shootout. The 34-year-old may have passed his prime and now plying his trade in Major League Soccer, Cesar's performance is something this Brazil team desperately needs to bury the 1950 'Maracanazo'.
Scolari said after the match that they need to win three more games to win the World Cup. But he is also aware of the fact that he has only five days to recover his physically and mentally drained side, which has not only played 30 odd extra minutes in energy sapping conditions but have also sustained a few injury blows and the suspension to Luis Gustavo, before their quarterfinal clash against a rather fresh and energetic Colombia.
The Colombians strolled to a 2-0 win against a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay with their wonder boy James Rodriguez scoring both the goals. His first goal, a left-footed volley, is not only the best goal of the tournament so far (though Tim Cahill or RVP might argue) but will go down as one of the best in World Cup history. The young striker received a ball on his chest about 25 yards outside the box. And when he received the ball his face was actually perpendicular to the Uruguay post. As he was controlling the ball he swivelled on his right foot and with the motion unleashed a pictures-perfect volley that crashed into the upper comer of the net, via a faint nick of the goalkeeper's outstretched hand and a deft kiss of the cross-bar. Rodriguez, a find of this World Cup, has now scored in every game, taking his tally to five from four matches, the leading goalscorer so far.
And Brazil beware, everyday won't be your lucky day.