Full coverage: World Cup 2014
It will be a strange memory for Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara. He let David Luiz get past him to give Brazil the lead. Then, just as he thought a tough day in office was finally over - holding off Brazil's half-baked onslaught - he forgot he had left the gates open. His effort, the day's final penalty in the tie-breaker after both teams had ended regulation period 1-1, hit the upright and cruelly bounced away.
Up until then, Brazil were staring at an unfamiliar situation. In extra time, with Alexis Sanchez their lone man upfront, Chile were pushing the game to the lottery of the tie-break, where things are once again equal, and not always fair.
Brazil, acutely aware of that, were pushing and pushing for a goal, their alarm becoming more apparent with each passing minute. It seemed beyond them. Then out of nowhere, mere minutes from that approaching inevitability, a Mauricio Pinilla effort from top of the box rocked Julio Cesar's crossbar. It saved the Brazil goalkeeper the burden of carrying a strange cross for the rest of his life.
Cesar, at 34 years the oldest man on the field, grabbed the chance with his oversized gloves as he palmed away Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez's efforts in the shootout to give Brazil a huge psychological boost. It did not help, however, that Willian hit wide and Hulk had his shot saved by Claudio Bravo to bring Chile on an even keel.
Then Jara stepped up and became the day's fall guy.
The stadium, all 57,714 of them, erupted in that long-drawn "Oooohhh!! That release of breath where both relief and fear live side by side. It was so different from the deafening noise that had defined the day.
The "Braaa-seal, Braaa-seal, Braaa-seal!" ringing so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think. Just imagine what it was doing to the poor Chileans.
A hoarse Belo Horizonte lifted their beloved Selecao like nothing else in the opening Round of 16 encounter here. All of the city had been awash in the canary yellow for the past two days. Incidentally, this tie with Chile was also the 60th anniversary of the famous yellow shirt. In March 1954, Brazil had played the same opponents for the first time in yellow, retiring the earlier white strip after losing 1950 World Cup final. It changed the fortunes of their future teams forever.
On Saturday, they also played as if born-again. Neymar was flying again, Fernandinho and Luiz Gustavo pulling the strings in the middle - feverishly tugging at them actually - and Oscar was his own silent, sublime self. Even Hulk seemed composed and at home. One is not sure though, whether Fred got a touch of the ball all of the opening session at all. Actually, Fred had had the most chances of the first half - three - but they were all off target.
Just past the hour, he made way for local boy, Jo, of Atletico Mineiro. You were not sure if the Belo locals were cheering wildly for Jo's coming on, or the ineffectual Fred making his exit.
As hostilities kicked off, Brazil didn't allow Chile to settle at all, coming in them with a tempo that was not only unmanageable, it was mentally exhausting. The rare occasion when the Chileans found themselves in the Brazil half, they also found the Brazilians swarming the area, almost as if there were two men to each Chilean on the field.
The opening goal came in a fashion that left the Chileans bewildered. Just past a quarter of an hour of being relentlessly run at, Claudio Bravo deflected a dangerous Hulk freekick out of play. The resulting corner by Neymar found his captain Thiago Silva's head who flicked it across the Chilean goalmouth. Waiting at the far post was his defensive partner, David Luiz, who shot it home.
The odds were stacked against the Chileans - not having won once in 12 games against Brazil. They had suffered three straight losses in three meetings in the knockouts at the World Cup. It began looking ominous for Chile on Saturday night too but Alexis Sanchez had other ideas. Having a great World Cup, the other Barcelona player on the pitch after Neymar, Sanchez simply led his team soak up the initial pressure. Incidentally, going into the game, he was the player fouled most at this World Cup, 17 times, an aspect that he knew would hold him in good stead as the initial euphoria and burst wore off.
Indeed, it came. Just past half-hour in the first session, Eduardo Vargas pounced on a silly throw-in error between Marcelo and Hulk. The Chilean forward who could rival Fred in the lacklustre play sweepstakes all day, at least made good of this offering. He quickly slipped it to Sanchez who glided in past Silva and placed it past Julio Cesar to make it 1-1.
Stung, Brazil hit back. Twice Neymar had a great chance at goal - one a header off a corner and the second when Oscar found him with an excellent ball from the deep. But by now, the Chilean defence had a settled feel to it.
It was going to a different second half. As Chile began controlling proceedings, Scolari was throwing in his defensive players, while the Chile, showing their intent, their attacking substitutes. It told the tale of the transformation of a game from a burst to a sputter.
Julio Cesar was forced to make a super save off an Charles Atanguiz effort just past the hour that would have surely sealed the game. In between, Hulk had an attractive goal disallowed after the referee Howard Webb - the only Englishman left in the World Cup - ruled that he had controlled Oscar's ball with his upper arm and shoulder.
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