Draped in the flag of Rio de Janeiro's famous Mangueira samba school, Rodrigo had tears in his eyes after Brazil's agonizing World Cup win.
Usually, it is the sound of drums that moves the musicians and dancers of Mangueira, a hillside favela with a dizzying view over the city.
This time, it was Brazil's penalty shootout victory over Chile in the first knock-out game of the World Cup that made their heart beat yesterday.
"It was very tough, but victory tastes even better, the emotion is stronger," said Rodrigo, 33, who sported the same blond-dyed haircut as Brazil right-back Dani Alves.
He kissed the green and pink flag of his 86-year-old samba school, which is based in the slum and is one of the top competitors in Rio's annual carnival.
"At one point, I thought we were going to lose, but it's Brazil and we have the best goalkeeper in the world," he said, referring to Julio Cesar, who stopped two penalties, sending Brazil to a quarter-finals showdown against Colombia.
"It's not yet time to think about the quarter finals. It's time to party," he said.
The school's headquarters, at the foot of the favela, was turned into a screening room for residents who all wore Brazil's yellow flag.
After extra-time ended in a 1-1 tie, some were unable to look as the penalty shootout began.
"My heart is beating at 1,000 kilometers per hour but we can only pray. Penalties are like the lottery," said Mario Cesar just before the spot-kicks started.
The room that normally vibrates with the sounds of samba went silent as the players geared up for the penalties.
