With Neymar Jr: Brazil started their Copa America journey with a stalemate (0-0) against a tough-to-break-down Costa Rica side who refused to let the nine-time Copa America winners score. With Neymar Jr not in the squad due to injury, the pressure of leading the side falls onto Vinicius Jr who at 23 years old is the most experienced forward the side has got. Brazil Head Coach, Dorival Junior took the brave decision of taking off the Real Madrid winger for 17-year old Endrick and went on to reveal the reason behind his move.
“We put Vini on the side , we were unsuccessful. We placed him inside, we couldn’t find a path either, he was very well marked. We were presenting a very good volume of play. We had to change parts. We tried several alternatives, several situations were created, and we ended up being not successful in the finals,” said Dorival to reporters after the game.
Brazil dominated the game from start to finish and had 74% possession compared to the 26% that Costa Rica possessed. The Selecao also had 19 shots but only managed to have three on target. Brazil’s woes were added on by a disallowed goal in the first half as Marquinhos’ header was chalked off after a lengthy VAR review deemed him offside by a narrow margin.
Brazil’s build up to the Copa America has been full of negativity with fans, pundits and former players alike all criticizing the young Brazilian team who have failed to impress in international outings so far. The Selecao who are accustomed to winning have only won one Copa America trophy in the past 17 years (2019).
The side will hope to bounce back in their second game against Paraguay on June 29 (IST).
