The Brazilian coach took away Vinicius’ hat-trick. The star did not even congratulate his partner on the goal
Nikita Paglazov June 29, 2024, 06:46 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Brazilians shined after a poor start on the Kop and sent Paraguay home early.
The Brazilian team had a weak opening match in the Copa América 2024. Dorival Junior’s team did not score against Costa Rica (0-0) and lost important points. But the Brazilians had a chance to improve in the second round. The Five-time champions met with Paraguay. And everything that didn’t work with the Costa Ricans we implemented!
There were slight changes in the Brazilian lineup: Savio and Wendell started from the first minutes. Did this affect the team’s performance? Maybe. The Brazilians immediately went on the attack, as in the first match. Both made long combinations and took advantage of the speed of the sides. But the first truly dangerous moment was created by Paraguay. Midfielder Damian Bobadilla made a great shot at Brazil’s goal: Alison jumped and saved the team.
And then the Brazilians began to reign. At 30 minutes they won a penalty: Lucas Paqueta’s shot at Paraguay’s goal hit the hand of an opponent. Judge Piero Masa Gómez pointed out the place without hesitation. Packet decided to implement the 11-meter one himself, but it was not successful. The ball after his shot flew close to the crossbar! What is it: Brazil’s curse in the 2024 Cup or a simple failure?
In the 1st round, Brazil failed to score:
Video
The first sensation of the 2024 World Cup! Brazil failed miserably against an outsider
We got the answer in a couple of minutes. Brazil scored a great goal! Three people created the combination: Vinicius, Bruno Guimarães and Paquetá. The first accelerated the attack, the second made a pass into the box and the third with a touch put his teammate in a position to strike. It was Vinicius who took care of the goalkeeper and scored Brazil’s first goal in the Copa América. In the first match, the Real Madrid full-back was awful, but he completely redeemed himself. Beauty!
Has Brazil stopped? No! The team was inspired. And when the Brazilians want to score, the opponent suffers. And before the end of time, Paraguay conceded two more times. In the 43rd minute, Rodrigo shot at the Paraguayan goal and goalkeeper Morínigo stopped the shot. But the ball bounced treacherously for Savio, who was the first to finish. 2-0 is the easiest goal for Brazil.
And already in added time of the first half, Vinicius scored a double. He saw a mistake by defender Omar Alderete, raised his foot and sent the ball into Paraguay’s goal. 3:0 at half-time: Brazil made a full recovery from the opening match!
Vinicius shined against Paraguay
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
But the second half started in an alarming way for the Dorival Junior team. Already in the 48th minute, the Paraguayans went back a goal: Alderete himself, after a rebound, shot with precision into the lower corner of Alison’s goal. Paraguay felt courage and moved forward. Brighton winger Julio Enciso missed a great opportunity: Alison saved Brazil’s second goal by deflecting his shot.
And tranquility returned to the “five-time champions” in the 65th minute. Savio shot at the Paraguayan goal, the ball hit the defender’s hand and the referee without hesitation declared a penalty. Vinicius wanted to fulfill it, clearly dreaming of a hat-trick. But coach Dorival Junior once again sent Paquetá to execute the 11-meter shot. And this time the midfielder converted the attempt. 4:1! Curiously, Vinicius did not end up running to congratulate Paqueta.
Package after the goal
Photo: Ian Maule/Getty Images
And then the game calmed down. Yes, both Brazil and Paraguay created some opportunities. But it was clear to everyone: the Paraguayans were going home after two rounds. And Brazil will have a match for first place with Colombia. In case of a crushing defeat and a great victory for Costa Rica over Paraguay, there is even a chance that the Brazilians will return home! So for the third round, the Dorival Junior team needs maximum spirit.
And Paraguay “swim” at the end. At one point, defender Andreas Kubas found himself on the grass and rudely hit midfielder Douglas Louis with his spikes. After this, referee Piero Masa Gómez expelled the Paraguayan from the field. Later, Paraguay scored again, but in an obvious offside position, so the goal was not counted. And a Brazilian fan also ran onto the field to hug Andreas Pereira.
Brazil won a landslide victory. As expected: the team scored everything it did not achieve against Costa Rica. Paraguay created good opportunities in the intervals, but failed as the match progressed. A well-deserved victory for the Brazilians, who face a key match with Colombia. And Paraguay is going home. Although in the final round there is the possibility of adding three points against Costa Rica and finally pleasing the fans.
Brazil’s main rival forced a victory over a tough opponent:
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Argentina kept their opponents on the Kop for the entire match. But Bravo, 41, worked some real magic.
