World Cup 2014: The late, late shows of the Last 16

WORLD CUP 2014

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LAST 16

Sat 28-Jun	BRAZIL	1-1	CHILE	Belo Horizonte
5pm BBC	David Luiz 18	aet (3-2pens)	Sanchez 32
Sat 28-Jun	COLOMBIA	2-0	URUGUAY	Rio de Janeiro
9pm ITV	Rodriguez 28, 50
Sun 29-Jun	NETHERLANDS	2-1	MEXICO	Fortaleza
5pm ITV	Sneijder 88 Huntelaar 90+4(pen)		Dos Santos 48
Sun 29-Jun	COSTA RICA	1-1	GREECE	Recife
9pm ITV	Ruiz 52	aet (5-3pens)	Papastathopoulos 90+1
Mon 30-Jun	FRANCE	2-0	NIGERIA	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Pogba 79 Yobo (og) 90+2
Mon 30-Jun	GERMANY	2-1	ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
9pm ITV	Schuerrle 92, Oezil 120	aet	Djabou 120+1
Tue 01-Jul	ARGENTINA	1-0	SWITZERLAND	Sao Paulo
5pm BBC	Di Maria 118	aet
Tue 01-Jul	BELGIUM	2-1	UNITED STATES	Salvador
9pm BBC	De Bruyne 93 Lukaku 105	aet	Green 107

BRAZILIAN dreams of home World Cup success remains intact for now - but only just, following a breathless Last 16 encounter against Chile in Belo Horizonte.

The hosts eventually progressed 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw - and if Brazil ultimately do, in fact, lift the World Cup at the Maracana on 13 July, they might still back on this game as their toughest test.

Certainly, goalkeeping hero Julio Cesar will after he saved two spot-kicks in the shoot-out.

In normal time, Chile were insatiable - their relentless high-pressing tactics rarely allowing Brazil to settle, despite a bright start from which David Luiz scored his first international goal.

Or at least he officially did according to FIFA, although the ball clearly came off Gonzalo Jara from Neymar's teasing corner.

If Brazil thought, following that early goal, they were going to have it easy from then on, they were rather mistaken - and, just after the half hour mark, the lively Alexis Sanchez took advantage of some woeful defending to equalise.

Brazil came close to regaining the lead on 55 minutes when Hulk had the ball in the net, only for him to be penalised by English referee Howard Webb for a marginal handball.

But the Chileans went close soon after, Cesar having to make a fine save low to his left from Charles Aranguiz.

Hulk drew an equally-good save from Chile's Claudio Bravo - and so, without the deadlock broken, into extra time we went.

Unsurprisingly, given the pace of the match until that point, the additional 30 minutes did not quite have the same flow - with Chile, in particular, needing to recharge their batteries.

And yet, despite this, it was La Roja who actually came closest to grabbing a winner in a most dramatic fashion. It was cruelly close.

Picking up a loose ball in the midfield in the last minute of extra time, Mauricio Pinilla played a neat one-two with Sanchez before striking a thunderous drive from the edge of the box.

At that moment, a terrible sinking feeling will have hit the hearts and stomachs of all Brazilians - could it really be happening? An exit in the Last 16 of their home World Cup?

Ultimately, it did not: Pinilla hit the crossbar - and, as a sorrowful tattoo etched on his back now confirms for posterity, he remained one centremetre from glory. Sadly, he also missed in the shoot-out.

Even the penalties - the always exciting World Cup penalties - almost had a plot twist.

Brazil were in control of the shoot-out, David Luiz and Marcelo giving the hosts a 2-0 lead. But Aranguiz then hit the best spot-kick of the contest to halve the deficit - and, after Hulk had missed Brazil's fourth, Marcelo Diaz was able to make it 2-2.

Sudden death - and suddenly Brazil were on the edge again - but Neymar shuffled and scored, leaving released Nottingham Forest defender Jara to end an unfortunate game in heartbreaking fashion.

Brazil had won by the skin of their teeth - and, effectively, the first match set the tone for all but one of the rest of the games in the round.

A Last 16 record of five of them went to extra time - and, out of the eight teams who remain, only Colombia can be said to have qualified for the quarter finals with any degree of comfort.

That, in itself, was down to a virtuoso individual display by James Rodriguez. The 22-year-old playmaker is now top scorer at the tournament with five goals after a simply brilliant brace against Luis Suarez-less Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro.

Indeed, the youngster's first goal has now overridden Tim Cahill's group stage volley for Australia as my personal goal of the tournament.

Controlling the ball on his chest with his back to goal just outside the D, Rodriguez turned and hit his spectacular volley all in one movement.

And, as that description sadly fails to do any sort of justice to the goal, have a look for yourselves at his glorious pirouette and finish. Poetry in motion.

Uruguay, without their banned talisman Suarez, had no response - and when Rodriguez doubled Los Cafeteros' lead early in the second half, it really came as no surprise.

There were not quite the fireworks of the opener - but the six-yard tap-in provided a pleasing finish to a beautiful passing move, Pablo Armero's cross finding Juan Cuadrado for him to knock the ball down to Rodriguez.

2-0 and game over, although Colombian keeper David Ospina saved well on a few occasions to keep his clean sheet intact.

Nevertheless, the other matches, as noted, were still much closer - with Netherlands scoring twice late on in normal time in the third match to break Mexican hearts.

Mexico - who scraped their way to Brazil via a playoff against New Zealand - have fallen at the Last 16 stage in every single World Cup since 1994.

But that sequence looked to be coming to an end after Giovani Dos Santos gave El Tri a deserved lead in the opening minutes of the second half with a well-struck shot.

The Oranje had struggled throughout in the baking afternoon heat of Fortaleza - and, in fact, it was so hot that there were official cooling breaks for the first time in World Cup history.

With 15 minutes left, the second half cooling break took place with Netherlands still 1-0 behind. But whatever coach Louis van Gaal said in those brief moments definitely worked, the Dutch going onto make a great comeback, their third of this World Cup.

Perhaps it was less what van Gaal said, and more what he did. A tactical change of bringing on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the misfiring Robin van Persie worked a treat.

Huntelaar touched the ball just seven times after his introduction into the game on 76 minutes - yet still managed a goal and an assist.

The assist came first - a knock-down off a corner heading away from goal but finding Wesley Sneijder who struck a ferocious half-volley in the corner.

Netherlands are the top scorers at the 2014 World Cup and, with the wind in their sails and six additional minutes to take into account the cooling breaks, immediately went in search of a winner.

They got one, in controversial fashion, as Arjen Robben tumbled over Rafael Marquez's leg and Huntelaar coolly dispatched the stoppage time spot-kick.

Robben, who later apologised for a dive in the first half, denied cheating for the penalty. Even on that occasion, though, the contact was slight and the Bayern Munich winger seems to have a rather irritating habit of being able to engineer a foul.

Later that evening, there was World Cup history made as Costa Rica qualified for the quarter finals for the first time ever after beating Greece on penalties.

A dull first half suggested it was going to be a long night - but Bryan Ruiz's early second half goal and Oscar Duarte's sending off livened up proceedings as Los Ticos gained and lost the initiative, all inside 15 minutes.

From then on, for the Costa Ricans, it was a case of holding on - and they looked to have made it until a late, late Greek equaliser.

Never write off the Greeks should be the new footballing phrase from this World Cup, as they just do not know when they are beaten.

The clock had ticked into the second minute of stoppage time when Sokratis Papastathopoulos bundled in his leveller on the rebound and he promptly went into the record books as the finals scorer with the longest surname in history.

Extra time continued in much the same vain with Greece putting constant pressure on the tiring Costa Ricans, for whom Keylor Navas in goal was magnificent. 

At one stage, the Greeks - breaking off a rare Costa Rican corner - had a five-on-two chance which they contrived to mess up.

And so, this time, there was no late winner from them. Costa Rica, almost out on their feet, had somehow made it to penalties. 

Amazingly, considering the tired legs on the pitch, the spot-kicks were of a superb quality, the Costa Ricans scoring all of theirs - and Greece suffering just one costly miss. 

The fall guy was veteran Theofanis Gekas - his shot being well saved to cap a poor overall display for him. 

But goalkeeper Navas and Costa Rica will not care a jot about that. The history boys of San Jose are in the quarter finals.

Day three of this round was all about Europe versus Africa, the latter continent having provided more than one Last 16 representative at the same World Cup for the first time ever.

Nigeria went up first against the impressive French - and the Super Eagles almost took a shock early lead, only for Emmanuel Emenike to see his effort correctly ruled offside.

After that early scare, France got themselves into the game and Paul Pogba drew an excellent save from Vincent Enyeama.

The Nigerian keeper had to be on guard early in the second half, his save smothering Karim Benzema's goal-bound effort, and allowing Victor Moses to complete the clearance on the line.

It was getting to the stage where it was only a matter of time and Yohan Cabaye beat Enyeama all ends up, only to see his shot crash off the crossbar.

Les Bleus finally took the lead with just 13 minutes left, Pogba nodding in from six yards after Enyeama had failed to collect a corner.

And, in the last minute, the 1998 winners then put a harsher sheen on the final score as Joseph Yobo diverted Mathieu Valbuena's cross into the net.

Algeria, then, were Africa's sole remaining hope and, from the start, looked intent on giving three-time winners Germany a real scare in Porto Alegre.

German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer seemed to rush out of his goal at will all night - although, in fairness to him, he was required to do so as he covered for a slow back-line in the face of the threat from Islam Slimani's pace.

Slimani also had a fine header ruled correctly offside and the Germans only threatened sporadically in a disjointed first half display.

But the second half was better from the Nationalmannschaft, and a Thomas Muller header drew a particularly fine save from Rais Mbouli.

Neither side was able to make the breakthrough, though - and so into another period extra time we went.

The whistle signalling the start of the period was almost like a clarion call for the Germans who finally made the breakthrough through Andre Schuerrle's inventive finish off Muller's driven centre.

Still, though, the Fennec Foxes would not lie down and Mehdi Mostefa fired just wide following a scramble off a corner.

But the streetwise Germans got a second on the break, Mesut Oezil firing in from close range after Schuerrle's initial effort had been blocked on the line.

Even then, Algeria were determined to have the last word and they duly delivered when Abdelmoumene Djabou volleyed home with seconds left.

And, even in that short time period, the Algerians had one final chance for an extraordinary equaliser, only for Slimani to send a weak header into the hands of Neuer.

Germany were through then - and, having never failed to make it at least to the quarter final in 14 consecutive appearances since 1954, rarely will they have as close to missing out as this match.

Day four and enter Lionel Messi, scorer of four World Cup goals at Brazil 2014.

Overall, though, Argentina have disappointed - relying on the diminutive Barcelona forward to scramble them through their group games.

Again, in this Last 16 match in Sao Paulo, La Albiceleste struggled to break down Ottmar Hitzfeld's organised Switzerland outfit. 

Indeed, the Swiss had the best chance of a cagey first half - but Josip Drmic shot weakly at Sergio Romero who had earlier saved from Granit Xhaka and Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Argentina's best chance came in the second half from Messi - who else? - but his low shot was saved well by Diego Benaglio in the Swiss goal.

And so, to extra time again - except, this time, the additional period was still devoid of much to trouble the goalkeepers, the game almost seeming to amble towards penalty kicks.

That was until Angel Di Maria finally stepped up to the mark. Poor for the most of the game, the Real Madrid attacker drew a fine save from Benaglio - before sliding home a winner with two minutes left after a powerful, driving run from Messi.

Argentina had done it - in the nick of time - as Hitzfeld's decorated career has the curtain pulled down on it in cruel circumstances.

One place in the last eight left then - would it be Belgium in their first appearance since 2002 or would it be the United States where the World Cup has really captured the imagination?

A close tie on paper proved exactly that in scoreline - but the Belgians were almost left to rue a boatload of opportunities which fell their way in Salvador.

Pacy teenager Divock Origi forced an early save from Tim Howard inside the first minute - and the youngster came close again early in the second half.

Origi then almost turned provider - but Kevin Mirallas could not beat Howard, and nor could Vincent Kompany or Eden Hazard as the Diables Rouges poured forward.

At the other end, Wondolowski missed a glorious chance that was flagged incorrectly offside anyway - and that proved the last major moment of another breathtaking 90 minutes.

Early in extra time, Belgium took the lead, the fresh legs of substitute Romelu Lukaku stretching the American rearguard before Kevin De Bruyne found the finish.

By the end of the half, it was 2-0 as Lukaku became the 27th substitute to score at the 2014 World Cup with an excellent breakaway goal.

The United States looked finished - mentally and physically exhausted. No wonder - official stats showed they made 67 clearances in the match, one more than England had made in their three games combined.

Keeper Tim Howard also now holds the record for the most saves in an individual World Cup game - and there were an amazing 56 shots from both teams added together.

Still, Belgium's two-goal burst seemed to have settled matters - but that did not reckon on Julian Green becoming the 28th substitute to score in this magical tournament with his very first touch.

Suddenly, the rules of engagement had changed and the knackered Americans had found an extra spring in their step.

Jermaine Jones stabbed an effort just wide and Clint Dempsey could not provide the coup de grace to a brilliantly-worked free-kick.

It just wasn't to be - and, ultimately, the eight group winners all got through to the quarter finals, the only time that has happened since the extension of the World Cup to 32 teams in 1998. 

Do not let anyone tell you it was as simple as that sounds, though.

These were the magnificent late, late shows of the 2014 World Cup. More of this please from Friday.