BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil : Julio Cesar the 34-year-old goalkeeper for World Cup hosts Brazil, nearly ended his national team career after feeling the brunt of his team's exit from the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Four years after making the mistake that led to Brazil's elimination from the World Cup, Julio Cesar came up big.
Cesar made two saves in Saturday's penalty shootout victory and watched Chile's last shot from the spot smack the post, helping save Brazil from a humiliating loss in the second round of the World Cup.
The score was level 1-1 after extra time, and Brazil ended up winning 3-2 on penalties to reach the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive World Cup.
Cesar has always admitted that his mistake on a ball crossed into the area in 2010 led to Brazil's 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in South Africa, something which left him devastated.
This time, there were only tears of joy. "Four years ago I gave a very sad, angry and emotional interview," the goalkeeper said, wiping away tears. "And today I'm doing this again, with happiness. Only God and my family know what I went through and still go through today, but I know that my story is not over with the Selecao."
Cesar was visibly emotional even before the penalty shootout, when teammates walked over to hug him and wish him well. His eyes appeared to be watering and he seemed to have a hard time staying composed.
"I gave an interview four years ago and I cried (when Holland eliminated Brazil)," . "I was very sad but now I am crying because I am happy.
