Brazil captain Thiago Silva broke a 20-year taboo with his goal against Colombia in his team’s 2-1 victory in the quarterfinal over their South American counterparts but will be ruing his foolish mistake as he will be in the dugout when Brazil meet Germany in the semifinal on Tuesday.
Thiago, who went through a difficult time controlling his emotions following the shootout victory over Chile in the round of 16, was ecstatic when he poked a Neymar corner into the Colombian net with a delicate poke which came off his knee. The goal scored by the Brazilian skipper, wearing the number 3 shirt, broke a taboo that had lasted for 20 years. The last Selecao captain to score a goal in the World Cup was midfielder Rai in the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States. Since then no Brazilian captain has scored in any of the last four World Cups.
Thiago’s suspension in the semifinal though was criticised by the Brazilian media. They said there was no need for him to stand in the way of Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina while he was attempting a goal-kick. There were enough Brazilian players in midfield and defence. Probably emotions got the better of the Paris Saint Germain centreback.