Ten-man Belgium shocked Italy with a 3-2 win yesterday in a quarter-final thriller at the Workers' Stadium thanks to a brace from Moussa Dembele.
To the delight of a rowdy 51,000 crowd, the game swung back-and-forth before 21-year-old Dembele, who plays for AZ Alkmaar, struck with a low shot from the edge of the area in the 80th minute.
There was controversy, though, over his other goal, a first-half header that was deemed to have gone over the line despite Luca Cigarina's attempted block. TV replays were inconclusive.
As expected, Italy had come out strongest in search of a semi-final berth and the Belgians looked in for a tough night as defender Thomas Vermaelen was sent off for dragging down Giuseppe Rossi in the box.
Rossi stood up to score the resulting penalty in the 18th minute. But Dembele's header made the score 1-1 in the 24th minute.
Belgium withstood more pressure before, two minutes into first-half injury time, Kevin Mirallas turned his marker in the box to shoot low past Italy's Emiliano Viviano.
As Italy came out all guns blazing for the second period, Rossi had a free-kick palmed away and a goal disallowed for an offside by his strike partner Robert Acquafresca.
But with Belgian goalkeeper Logan Bailly off injured, Italy got another penalty, secured by Rossi, in the 74th minute against substitute Yves Ma-Kalambay.
Just as Italy began to turn the screws on a tiring Belgian team, Dembele dribbled his way into space to grab the winner.
The mainly Chinese fans, who had booed Italy's second penalty, gave an ovation to the Belgians, who danced for joy at the final whistle.
Brazil through
Brazil avenged their quarter-final defeat by Cameroon in Sydney by battling their way to a 2-0 extra-time win over the Africans at the same stage of the 2008 tournament.
Rafael Sobis, standing in after Alexandre Pato was surprisingly dropped, and Real Madrid full-back Marcelo scored in a four-minute spell to finish off an ugly game which produced 56 fouls, saw 12 players booked and Cameroon's Albert Baning sent off.
Brazil, who have never won Olympic gold, struggled for long periods and were jeered by an increasingly frustrated 41,000 crowd at the Shenyang Olympic Stadium.
Other results: Ivory Coast vs Nigeria 0-1; Argentina vs Holland 2-1 aet.
Semi-finals: Belgium vs Nigeria; Brazil vs Argentina.