With Neymar in the stands, Brazil failed to score against Costa Rica in their opening match of Group D in the Copa América on Monday night (25), which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Although Brazil had more ball possession, Costa Rica’s strict defense held firm.
Brazil faced further frustration with a series of questionable referee decisions early in the match, including a goal by Marquinhos that was ruled offside in the 30th minute by the video assistant referee.
Is strict defending the way to stop Brazil?
Despite dominating possession, two of Brazil’s most promising attacking situations arose after rare Costa Rican counterattacks in the first half.
In an ideal world, the national team would prefer to play this way: on the counterattack. But the issue is that most teams will not attack Brazil. As a result, the field becomes cramped, players get crowded, and the pace slows down.
But Brazil has players capable of breaking through any defense. Paquetá is a genius in tight spaces, and Rodrygo is not far behind. Often, however, it comes down to patience, which is not the national team’s strong suit. The longer the game remained goalless, the quieter the crowd became, and the more tension spread across the field.
At the end of the match, Brazil’s coach, Dorival Junior, said: “Today we did not achieve the expected results. They were very clear in their game plan. Even with all the substitutions and alternatives we used, they weighed heavily on the marking – the double marking happened everywhere on the field. We created many opportunities. Perhaps we were not the best in finishing, but Brazil played as it trained, recovering balls with great consistency. But we lost that important detail.”
Brazil’s second match in the Copa América is against Paraguay on Friday, June 28, at 9 PM, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Source: The New York Times