Felipe Melo's return from injury started perfectly but ended terribly for Brazil in the 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday.

Felipe Melo was doubtful to play because of a left ankle injury that forced him to miss the second-round win over Chile, but he recovered in time to face the Dutch and made a perfect pass that put Robinho in front of the net to open the scoring for Brazil in the 10th minute at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Then he scored an own goal in the 53rd after colliding with goalkeeper Julio Cesar, allowing the Dutch to start its comeback, and was red carded in the 73rd for stepping on Arjen Robben after a foul.

Felipe Melo said he was sad with everything that happened, but didn't think he should be seen as a "villain" in Brazil's loss.

"I'm devastated. It was hard to see the players crying back there," Felipe Melo said after emerging from the changing room. "I have to apologise to the Brazilian fans. I came here thinking about giving Brazil the title, but I'm a human being. Everybody can make mistakes."

Felipe Melo said it was hard for him to describe his feelings.

"I don't have words," he said. "I just called home and my son was crying. I have to apologise.

"It's sad it happened, but my life is not over because of this. I just have to keep doing what I had been doing before," he said.

In the 10th minute, the Juventus defensive midfielder held the ball just long enough near the midfield line, and when Robinho made his move behind the defenders he sent a firm through ball to the edge of the area and Robinho easily one-touched it past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Felipe Melo was one of the first to meet Robinho in the goal celebration, jumping up and down along with the rest of the Brazilians.

But after a long ball was sent into the area by Wesley Sneijder, he stepped in front of Julio Cesar to try to clear it with a header and the goalkeeper bumped into him and missed the ball, which went directly into the net.

"We can't blame one player," Julio Cesar said of Felipe Melo. "When we win everybody wins, and when we lose it's the same thing."

In the second goal by Sneijder in the 68th, it also was Felipe Melo who was just in front of the Dutch playmaker when he headed the ball into the net, failing to mark him properly.

But it got worse after what appeared to be a normal foul on Robben. As the striker was going down, Felipe Melo stepped on his leg with his right foot, receiving a straight red card from the referee.

Felipe Melo had nearly been costly for Brazil just a minute into the second half when he attempted a back heel pass on the defense and it was intercepted by the Dutch attack, which almost scored.

Felipe Melo's main responsibility was on defense, but he began the match creating plays for the strikers and threatening with headers and a few runs up the field. He also took care of business in the back, initially helping contain Sneijder and keeping the Dutch from creating too many dangerous scoring opportunities.

Known for his temper at times, Felipe Melo actually was the one trying to calm down his teammates at times after hard fouls from the Dutch. He did have a few words with the referee on some occasions, but calmly. He applauded a yellow card to Gregory van der Wiel in the second half.

But when he eventually lost his cool it made a big difference, leaving Brazil a man down as it tried to rally back and keep alive its hopes for a record sixth world title.

The decision to play with Felipe Melo was taken only the day of the match, according to Brazil doctors.

The Brazilian sprained his left ankle after a hard tackle by Portuguese defender Pepe in the teams' 0-0 draw in the final group stage match in Durban. Felipe Melo had to be substituted just before halftime because of the injury, which forced him to miss the match against Chile and several practices.

Felipe Melo is coming off a horrible season at Juventus, which acquired him for 25 million euros ($A37.22 million) from Fiorentina in what was hailed as a failed investment after only a few months.

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