With Neymar in the stands, Brazil failed to score against Costa Rica in their Copa America Group D opener on Monday night, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Although Brazil had the vast majority of possession, Costa Rica’s deep defense worked to prepare to counter their impressive opponents.
Brazil faced additional frustration following a series of questionable referee decisions early on, adding a Marquinhos goal that ruled offside in the 30th minute through the video assistant referee.
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It was a low-key start for Brazil at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as 17-year-old Endrick was asked to update Vinicius Junior in the 71st minute to check and locate a spark.
Jack Lang, Stuart James and Thom Harris of Athletic São Paulo.
Despite their dominance in possession, it was telling that two of Brazil’s most promising attacking conditions came after incredibly infrequent attacks from Costa Rica in the first half. In an ideal world, this is how the Seleçao would like to play: on the counterattack. , exploiting Vinicius Jr’s franchise, as well as Lucas Paqueta’s passing ability. They played against England and Spain in March, which allowed Dorival Junior to get off to a promising start as a coach.
The challenge is that the top teams do not attack Brazil with strength and conviction. As a result, the area becomes small, players crowd together, the rhythm becomes useless. All this is wonderful if at Manchester City, with time to paint when passing patterns. It’s much more complicated at a foreign level, and doubly difficult when your coach has only been in the rhythm of 4 games.
Brazil has players capable of opening the lock. Paquetá is a genius in small spaces, and Rodrygo is not far behind. But it’s a matter of patience, which is never very proportionate when it comes to the Seleçao. The more the lace went blank, the quieter the audience was and the more tension was felt on the field.
If he were generous, he could simply say that Brazil created enough chances to win the game on several occasions. But more often than not, they have been partial opportunities, and they will know that the other organizations in the organization will behave in the same way after such an unforeseen outcome.
Frustrations can boil over when you’re faced with a defensive block like that; Brazil racked up 48 touches in the box over 90 failed minutes, while their opponents, Costa Rica, sat deep and absorbed the pressure, and may only make two.
As time went on and the tackles got tougher, things got tense. Mexican referee César Ramos let many vital and demanding situations slip away, adding a clumsy collision between full-back Haxzel Quirós and Vinicius Jr midway through the first half, with the defender charging at the complicated winger and making a strong touch in the penalty area. Incredulous companions, set the tone for fierce competition.
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A disallowed goal did little to affect Brazil’s spirit; a marginal offside and a lengthy VAR review kept an increasingly restless organisation waiting, while a penalty awarded at the end of the first half provoked outrage from most of the team, making the referee wait for up to two minutes before the resulting corner was finally taken. In all honesty, it seemed that Juan Pablo Vargas’ arm was hidden at his side.
That day, Rodrygo missed a penalty in the first half and Brazil was on its way to a regime victory. But Dorival Junior’s team will still have a block to break against Paraguay on Friday, on an even warmer day; They will have to keep their feelings in check.
Pretty? No. Effective? Absolutely correct.
For Gustavo Alfaro, Costa Rica’s experienced coach, it was one of those rare nights where everything went according to plan tactically. Of course, Costa Rica took advantage of their luck in some moments: Brazil hit the post, wasted many chances and will regret being denied a penalty in the first half. But Alfaro’s team played with courage and spirit, defended their lives and showed confidence.
Juan Pablo Vargas deftly put together a beleaguered three-man central defence, and he, Patrick Sequeira, made some very important saves, adding one from his own player: Haxzel Quirós showed the look of an incredibly relieved boy after his header in distance. The message was rejected late. Who wishes Keylor Navas, huh?
This is a remarkable result in those circumstances, as there were previously genuine considerations as to whether Costa Rica could be eliminated through Brazil. After all, this is a team that has lost goals at an alarming rate over the last year. Panama has beaten them 3 times twice, and the United Arab Emirates and Martinique scored four. Brazil? Zero.
Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro: “I think the defenders and the midfield did the job of restricting Brazil’s chances. . . We were Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. Everyone thought we were dead before the movie started.
Brazil coach Dorival Junior: “Today we didn’t achieve the effects we wanted. They were very transparent in their game plan. Even with all the substitutions and chances we took advantage of, they scored a lot: double marking all over the pitch. We have created many opportunities. We probably wouldn’t have been the most productive in our finishing, but Brazil played the way they trained and recovered the ball with wonderful consistency. But we missed this vital detail.
Paraguay vs. Brazil – Friday, June 28 at 21. ET/sábado June 29 at 2:00 a. m. m. in the UK (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)
Colombia vs. Costa Rica – Friday, June 28 at 6:00 p. m. Eastern/11:00 p. m. United Kingdom (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)