Brazil And Germany Through To The Semis

((HT: ESPN/FIFA))

It was a day for chalk in the quarter-finals in Brazil...

Germany seemed like old Germany- suffocating on defense and relentless on offense in their 1-0 win over a confused France squad.
Mats Hummels' 13th-minute header was the difference


In the nightcap, host Brazil ended the run of Colombia with an early strike and a jaw dropping, top-spin free kick from David Silva


Two larger questions for the Selecao in the semis are around the lack of a Thiago Silva and the injury Neymar sustained late in the second half on a questionable challenge where one of the world's best took a high-speed knee to the middle of his back.

Julio Cesar also had a knee-to-knee contact in the box that led to his yellow card and subsequent PK goal by James, but his status seems more stable at present.

Batum with the groin punch and no sympathy

And it was all over a flop...or two.

Wednesday during, France and Spain's Olympic Quarterfinal game a "Punch Heard Round the World" was thrown.

The flailing punch from French forward Nicholas Batum to Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro strangely didn't result in an automatic ejection...from the game that is.

After the game, Batum told Yahoo Sports he did it to give Navarro a good reason to flop. Something the French accused the entire Spain team of doing in the game before today's Bronze Medal game. In that game on Monday, the French say Spain threw the game to keep themselves from playing the U.S in the finals.

Read more from Yahoo Sports RIGHT HERE

Not sure we believe that and it will be interesting to see what happens as a result of it.

Here's an animated GIF of the play in question.