By Our Correspondent
Cape Town, 03/07/2010
One big upset and the wildest finish yet at the World Cup.The first pair of quarterfinal matches at South Africa 2010 provided some of the most thrilling — and heartbreaking — moments at the tournament.The Netherlands came from behind to upset mighty Brazil 2-1 on Friday and set up a semifinal with Uruguay, which beat Ghana 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder was involved in both second-half goals in Port Elizabeth after Robinho had scored for Brazil in the 10th minute.Brazil had dominated the Dutch, but crumbled after Sneijder's cross in the 53rd minute was deflected into the Brazilian net by midfielder Felipe Melo. Sneijder then headed in the winner in the 68th from near the penalty spot once Dirk Kuyt had flicked the ball on from a corner.
Felipe Melo was shown a direct red card in the 73rd for stamping on Netherlands winger Arjen Robben, who tormented the Brazilian defense."We didn't expect this," Brazil coach Dunga said. "We know that any World Cup match is about 90 minutes. In the first half we were able to play better, and we weren't able to maintain that rhythm in the second half."The Netherlands, which extended its unbeaten streak to 24 games since losing to Australia in September 2008, will play Uruguay on Tuesday in Cape Town. Ghana failed in its attempt to become the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.Instead, Uruguay will be there for the first time since 1970.