Brazil vs. Colombia: Score, Recap and Post-Match Reaction

Neymar scored a brilliant free-kick in the 83rd minute, propelling Brazil to a 1-0 victory over Colombia in Friday night's friendly at Sun Life Stadium in Miami that was more defined by physical play and yellow cards than the goal that won it. 

From a disallowed goal to squandered opportunities by Neymar and Oscar, Brazil gave up plenty of chances to get in front in the first half. But a 50th-minute red card from Colombia's Juan Cuadrado put Brazil up a man for the second half, allowing it to play almost entirely in the attacking third from there on out.

All the Brazilians needed was one moment of brilliance, and they called on their new captain for it in the 83rd minute. He lined up on the right side of the goal and bent one around the wall that landed just inside the top-right corner.

Relegated to 10 men for the second half, Colombia couldn't generate anything more than shots outside of the box until late. Radamel Falcao subbed on in the 75th minute and got a great chance to equalize in the 90th minute on a header, but he fired it well over the crossbar. 

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman conceded the red card, making it tough for his side.

"It was a very competitive match, and Brazil deserved the victory," Pekerman said, per The Canadian Press (via TSN). "We did the best we could. Obviously, the expulsion complicated things."

It was a raucous crowd at Sun Life Stadium for the friendly, with Miami Herald's Michelle Kaufman reporting a record for the state of Florida:

After playing over the summer in a memorable World Cup quarterfinal, Colombia and Brazil didn't take long to reacquaint the two who made headlines in that showdown. Colombian defender Juan Camilo Zuniga and Neymar shared a nice moment as the two captains hugged it out before play kicked off.

Zuniga was surprisingly made captain for the match, allowing him to reunite with Neymar—who made his first cap as Brazil's captain on Friday night. Zuniga's knee to Neymar's back in the World Cup fractured the Barcelona forward's vertebra, which kept him out of action for more than a month. 

Bleacher Report UK shared the moment:

The pre-match pleasantries were nice and all, but the tension quickly returned to the pitch near the levels that they were during that fateful World Cup quarterfinal. In fact, Zuniga got a first-half yellow card for a challenge on Neymar minutes after their embrace.

Ugly tackles and hotly contested balls were of the norm, and it certainly didn't resemble that of a friendly match with six first-half yellow cards in total.

The best early chances came Brazil's way, and they failed to take advantage. An early goal scored by the Brazilians was disallowed from an offside call, and Oscar botched a great look in the 33rd minute with Brazil on an odd-man break as British journalist Carl Worswick summed up:

The Colombians answered back with a slew of chances from outside of 30 yards. Zuniga and Cuadrado both sent screamers toward the net that barely skewed wide. 

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

None of those early chances was set up quite like Neymar's 42nd-minute opportunity, which left the Brazil captain free inside the box. But he failed to put it on target, instead hitting it wide of the left post to ensure a scoreless match at the halftime break.

There were some great chances in the first half, but the chippy play was the story early on, and unfortunately so with two very talented teams playing. Andres Cordero of beIN Sports made a World Cup comparison to the play:

The chippiness continued after half-time, with tensions boiling over in the 50th minute. Cuadrado was sent off for his second yellow on a questionable challenge of Neymar, and the Colombians—led by James Rodriguez—furiously attested to the retreating referee.

Football journalist Jonas Giaever was taken aback by the calls:

Even though it wasn't from goals, fortunately the action turned from controversy to actual football when a pair of world stars made their anticipated appearances. Falcao made his return to the Colombian national team, and Robinho did the same for Brazil in the 75th minute. 

Eventually, Neymar's clutch moment put Brazil in front, and Falcao failed to take advantage of his chance to equalize in the late moments. 

ESPN Stats & Information noted Neymar's career ranks after the goal:

Although Neymar's late goal stole the headlines, the match was otherwise mired by rough foul calls. The World Game noted the number of total fouls:

The Sun Life Stadium environment was quite the scene for an international football match, as told by the following musings from Bleacher Report's Dan Levy and Ethan J. Skolnick:

Brazil's late victory was the ideal result for a national team looking to build a new-and-improved identity. As told by the style of play Friday night, this one meant more than a friendly, and the Selecao certainly wanted to reward thousands of yellow-clad Brazil fans in attendance with a thrilling win.

With that said, Colombia pulled out all of the stops despite being reduced to 10 men. The Colombian contingent in Sun Life Stadium was strong, and there's no doubt the players wanted to exact revenge from their World Cup elimination.

Instead, they gave their South American rivals a much-needed, morale-boosting win.

Colombia's friendly slate is done, but the Brazilians will be in action again before going back to their professional clubs. They face Ecuador on Tuesday at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.