Copa America: Inefficient Brazil play out goalless draw with Costa Rica

LOS ANGELES — Disappointment struck SoFi Stadium on Tuesday (IST) as Brazil, the nine-time Copa America champion, was held to a 0-0 draw by a determined Costa Rica side.

Despite controlling possession and peppering the goal with shots, the Selecao’s attack sputtered, failing to find a breakthrough.

Costa Rica’s goalkeeper, Patrick Sequeira, emerged as the hero, making several key saves and keeping a clean sheet for his team.

Brazil’s woes were compounded by a disallowed goal in the first half when Marquinhos’ header was chalked off after a lengthy VAR review deemed him offside by a narrow margin.

There was a lot of criticism for the team heading into the tournament and the draw marked a frustrating start for Brazil’s new generation, spearheaded by young talents Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. The team struggled to convert their dominance into goals. Refereeing decisions also added to the frustration, with questionable calls going against Brazil throughout the match.

However, credit must be given to Costa Rica. Despite being the underdogs with the youngest squad in the tournament, Los Ticos displayed remarkable defensive resilience, frustrating Brazil’s attack and securing a historic result. They had entered the match having lost nine consecutive encounters with the South American giants.

Looking ahead, Brazil finds itself playing catch-up in Group D. Colombia currently leads after their 2-0 victory over Paraguay.

Coach Dorival Junior has a lot to ponder as he aims to get his team firing on all cylinders in the upcoming matches. The quest for a tenth Copa America title seems to have gotten off to a rocky start.

Copa America: Colombia makes winning start against Paraguay

HOUSTON — Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma scored first-half goals as Colombia clinched a 2-1 victory over Paraguay in their Copa America Group D clash here on Monday.

Munoz put the Cafeteros ahead in the 24th minute at NRG Stadium when he capitalized on lax defending by heading home at the far post after James Rodriguez’s cross from the left wing.

Lerma doubled the advantage as he nodded home on the stroke of halftime following another Rodriguez delivery from a set piece, reports Xinhua.

The Guaranies were happy to cede possession for large periods as they defended with a low line and sought to hit Colombia on the counterattack.

They reduced the deficit in the 69th minute courtesy of Brighton forward Julio Enciso, who poked home a close-range volley following Ramon Sosa’s cross.

But the Cafeteros held on to secure their ninth consecutive victory and extend their unbeaten run under manager Nestor Lorenzo to 21 matches.

“I’m happy to be able help the team whether that be defending or scoring goals,” Crystal Palace midfielder Lerma told reporters after the match.

“We knew that Paraguay would be a difficult test and it proved to be the case. But it’s important to know how to suffer and still get three points, which we were able to do.”

Colombia will meet Costa Rica in their next match in Phoenix on Friday while Paraguay will face Brazil in Las Vegas the same day.