After a 1-1 draw with Brazil, Colombia are top of Group C, setting up a match with Panama in the Copa America quarter-finals, while Brazil will face Uruguay in what will undoubtedly be a highlight match. It was a match that showcased the shifts in South American football as Colombia are now unbeaten in 26 matches, while Brazil continue to underperform and will now miss Vinicius Junior for a crucial match against Uruguay due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
Times have been tough for Dorival Junior, who is in charge of the Brazilian national team, who currently sit sixth in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers after six games. Neymar Jr. was absent with a knee injury and instead of moving on to the next era, Brazil are looking for their talisman. It felt like Vini Jr. turned a corner by scoring a brace against Paraguay, but there wasn’t enough impact from Lucas Paqueta and Rodrygo alongside him. An attack that was fluid and epitomized the beautiful play sputtered out just 0.25 xG.
Colombia have a great defense, but Brazil’s failure to break it down from open play, despite two-thirds of Real Madrid’s front line leading the attack, is nothing short of a disappointment. Raphinha’s free-kick to open the scoring was excellent, but more of that inventiveness is needed ahead of Brazil to show they can win this edition of the Copa America.
Los Cafeteros showed that they can get goals from any member of the team as Daniel Munoz’s equalizer was enough to score the draw. Not only will Brazil have to find a goalscorer, but they will also have to slow down a Uruguay team that is the best. best scoring team in the Copa America.
It could be an opportunity for Endrick to start a game on the left flank, but even that change doesn’t feel like enough. Against Paraguay, Brazil created chances through Savio, but opted to move away from him in this match and go with more standard attacking options. While rotation is crucial, these are the kinds of things that happen after we wait out Carlo Ancelotti in the hope that he would leave Real Madrid, leaving us going through two managers rather than coming up with a permanent solution. The frustration surrounding Brazil is clear: expectations are high, but performances have not been matched. Winning anything short of everything will lead to more questions, but Brazil has done very little to prove its status as a candidate.
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