WELLINGTON — Five-time champion Brazil limped into the FIFA Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals Thursday after a penalty shoot-out with Uruguay, while fellow heavyweight Germany eased through without even hitting top gear. Host nation New Zealand gave two-time tournament winners Portugal an almighty scare before succumbing to a late goal, and Uzbekistan eliminated Austria 2-0.
Germany maintained the ominous form that saw it score 16 goals in the group stages to comfortably down Nigeria, one of the tournament favorites.
In contrast, Brazil looked unconvincing against Uruguay, eventually advancing 5-4 on penalties after the both sides failed to find the net in 120 minutes of football.
It began slowly against a familiar South American opponent, which also held it to a 0-0 stalemate during the tournament qualifiers in January.
There were glimpses of brilliance when Brazil finally went on the attack in the second half, but it lacked a killer touch in front of goal despite the dazzling passing and movement in the build up.
Captain Danilo somehow hit high just meters from an open goal and was also unlucky to see a dipping long-range shot hit the crossbar.
Uruguay, which lost the 2013 final to France on penalties, took its chances with spot kicks, but paid the price when Rodrigo Maral sent his shot over the bar.
The Brazilians, who are hoping to match Argentina's record of six trophies, will face Portugal in the last eight.
The Portuguese also looked shaky against a plucky New Zealand side cheered on by an eager crowd in Hamilton.
The Europeans went ahead on 24 minutes after a piece of wizardry from Raphael Guzzo, who spun away from his defender then unleashed a snap shot past the keeper.
The host clawed back an equalizer mid-way through the second half, when substitute Stuart Holthusen swooped on a loose ball in the Uruguay box, setting up a tense finish.
New Zealand threatened its more fancied opponent but, just as the match appeared headed for extra time, Gelson Martins netted an 87th-minute winner, evading two defenders to send a curling shot into the corner.
The Germany-Nigeria clash pitted Europe's top qualifier against the African youth champion and it was the “Super Eagles” who created the early chances.
But Germany changed the game in a flash when Marc Stendera dispossessed a defender and flicked on the ball to Levin Oeztunali, who buried it in the corner with a left-foot drive.
The 19th-minute goal stole Nigeria's momentum and the Africans were uncharacteristically subdued for the rest of the match, mustering just one shot on target and ceding 61 percent of possession to the Germans.
Germany must overcome another African team, Mali, in the last eight to keep alive its dream of claiming a junior World Cup to match the senior one its compatriots won in Brazil last year.
Uzbekistan went into its match with the worst defensive record in the round of 16 after leaking seven goals in the pool stages.
But Austria, whose campaign has been built around solid defense, showed little inclination to test its opponent in a first half that yielded only one shot on goal.
Dostonbek Khamdamov made it pay with two second-half goals in 10 minutes, the first when he burst through a static defense and the second when he prodded home the rebound after Rustamjon Ashurmatov's shot hit the post. His efforts earned Uzbekistan a quarterfinal clash with Senegal.
US stuns Germany
The United States beat World Cup winner Germany 2-1, thanks to an 88th-minute goal from Bobby Wood in an entertaining international friendly in Cologne Wednesday.
Mario Goetze put Germany in front in the 12th minute. Mix Diskerud got the equalizer against the run of play in the 41st minute for the Americans.
Brazil permitted itself the luxury of using Champions League winner Neymar as a second half substitute to make it ten wins in ten post-World Cup friendly outings Wednesday, edging Honduras 1-0 in a final Copa America tune-up.
The win in the southern city of Porto Alegre means coach Dunga, who replaced 2002 World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari in the dugout after last year's World Cup semifinal thrashing by Germany, retains his perfect record.
Japan flattened Iraq 4-0 on Thursday, landing a crushing double blow inside the first 10 minutes of a friendly that offered the host little more than gentle target practice.
Early goals from Keisuke Honda and Tomoaki Makino put the four-times Asian champions on easy street in Yokohama, before Shinji Okazaki effectively killed off the game with a sharp finish after 33 minutes following some excellent play from Takashi Usami. — Agencies
