World Cup: Brazil Defeats Chile; Colombia Downs Uruguay

The opening matches of the World Cup's Round of 16 were nothing short of thrilling, with Brazil beating Chile in a dramatic game decided by a penalty kick, and Colombia overpowering Uruguay 2-0 in regulation time.

Brazil and Chile were deadlocked 1-1 after 90 minutes of play and 30 minutes of overtime, before going to 2-2 in the penalty shootout.

Brazilian superstar Neymar then faked out Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to find the back of the net, while a shot by Chile's Arturo Vidal hit the side post. Penalty sessions are a best of five, but the game goes to sudden death if the teams are tied after five rounds.

Chile nearly won the game in the final seconds of overtime, but Mauricio Pinilla's shot bounced off the top crossbar.

Both goals came in the first half of the match, played in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.

Brazilian defender David Luiz tipped the ball over the line in the 18th minute, although television replays suggested the final touch may have come off Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara. Chile's Alexis Sanchez scored the equalizer in minute 32, taking advantage of a sloppy pass to angle a shot past Brazil's goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

The win sent Brazil to the quarterfinals. The Brazilians, seeking an unprecedented sixth World Cup title, play Colombia in Rio de Janeiro July 4.

In Saturday's other game, Colombia earned its first trip to the World Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory over Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro. Colombia's James Rodriguez scored two goals, one in each half, against a Uruguayan team that played without star striker Luis Suarez.

On Thursday, FIFA, the governing body for international football, banned Suarez from nine international matches and from all football-related activities for four months for biting an Italian player. Suarez was also fined $112,000 for the incident.

The Italian player, Giorgio Chiellini, said the punishment handed down against Suarez was "excessive." It was the harshest punishment ever imposed for an on-field incident at the World Cup.

Fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/brazil-battles-chile-in-world-cup-play/1947024.html