Neymar, Julio Cesar to the rescue for Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Neymar pointed his right index finger in the air and then formed the shape of a heart with his thumbs and fingers loftily raised above his head.

The 22-year-old striker had just slotted the winning penalty as Brazil beat Chile 3-2 in a dramatic shootout Saturday after the score was locked 1-1 at the end of extra time in the first of the World Cup's eight second-round matches.

As Chile's last penalty hit the post, it seemed as though the population of Brazil breathed a collective sigh of relief that its beloved team was still in the World Cup.

It was a heart-stopper for Brazil, which has spent billions to host football's marquee tournament, but it was a heartbreaker for Chile, which created plenty of chances to force an upset win — none closer than Mauricio Pinilla's powerful shot that hit the crossbar in the last moments of extra time. David Luiz for Brazil and Alexis Sanchez for Chile scored first half goals.

Shops were closed and usually busy roads were quiet as the country of almost 200 million collectively urged their revered Selacao to victory and ever closer to a sixth World Cup title — a trophy they desperately want to collect on home soil.

First things first. Brazil faces another South American team in the quarterfinals, with Colombia and Uruguay playing later Saturday at the Maracana Stadium to determine which team advances.

Colombia started as favorite after its three wins in the group stage and in the absence of Uruguay's biggest star, Luis Suarez. The Liverpool striker will have to watch on TV from Montevideo after being banished from the World Cup for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in the 1-0 group-stage win that secured Uruguay's place in the knockout rounds.

Diego Forlan started in place of Suarez — who claimed he accidently made contact with Chiellini's shoulder and has appealed against his ban of four months from football and nine international matches — but he hasn't been in anything like the form that earned him the 2010 World Cup player of the tournament award.

Neymar is in the kind of form that could help him win those accolades, scoring four goals in the group stage, although he missed some opportunities against Chile and didn't find the net until after his stuttering run-up to the penalty spot during the shootout. His kick gave Brazil a 3-2 buffer — after Julio Cesar made two crucial saves at the start of the shootout — and Gonzalo Jara's final attempt for Chile hit the post, sparking raucous celebrations on the field and in the yellow-washed crowd in Belo Horizonte.

"My teammates are giving me a lot of strength on the field so I give my best," Cesar said. "We're just short three more steps away and I hope to give another interview with Brazil partying."

The parties started almost as soon as Jara hit the post as relieved Brazilians spilled into the streets.

The packed fan fests in Rio's Copacabana beach and at Sao Paulo were packed with screaming, flag-waving Brazilians. At the Maracana, Brazil fans already inside the stadium for the Colombia-Uruguay match erupted into cheers as they followed the win on TVs.