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RIO DE JANEIRO. — Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari said his team were “three steps from heaven” after beating Chile on penalties to reach the World Cup soccer quarter-finals on Saturday.
The hosts’ excruciatingly tense 3-2 penalty win, after the game in Belo Horizonte ended 1-1 following extra-time, left them three games away from lifting the World Cup for a sixth time and exorcising the ghosts of defeat in the 1950 final on home soil.
“We took upon ourselves this mission that we must be champions. If you make a promise you must deliver. This is what the players are doing. There are three more (games) to see if we can reach heaven,” he added.
Scolari praised Chile, who nearly won with a last-minute shot that cannoned off the crossbar, and said Brazil must improve if they were to keep progressing.
“In every match, the difficulties are escalating,” the coach said. Brazil now face the winners of Colombia v Uruguay tie.
“The World Cup has show that teams are very balanced. If you cannot exploit one or two or three chances, as we didn’t today, then you might pay the price for that and go out.” — AFP.
Online Reporter