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.
Even though Brazil had the vast majority of the ball, Costa Rica’s deep defense struggled to plan against their superior opponents.
Brazil faced further frustration following a number of questionable calls from officials early on, including a Marquinhos goal that was ruled offside in the 30th minute by the video assistant referee.
It was a quiet start for Brazil at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as they brought on 17-year-old Endrick to replace Vinicius Junior in the 71st minute to try and find a spark.
AthleticismJack Lang, Stuart James and Thom Harris share their takeaways from the match…
Is a deep defense the way to stop Brazil?
Despite their dominance in possession, it is telling that two of Brazil’s most promising offensive situations came after extremely rare attacks from Costa Rica in the first half. In an ideal world, this is how the Seleçao would like to play: on the counter-attack, exploiting the directness of Vinicius Jr and the ability of Lucas Paqueta to recover a pass. This is how they faced England and Spain last March, which gave Dorival Junior a promising start as coach.
The problem is that most sides will not attack Brazil with force and conviction. Suddenly, the field becomes small, the players crowded together, the rhythm becomes useless. This is great if you are at Manchester City, with time to work on passing patterns. It’s much more difficult at international level, and even harder when the coach has only managed four matches.
Brazil could have done with top scorer Neymar (center), who watched from the stands. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Brazil has players capable of picking the lock. Paqueta is a genius in tight spaces, and Rodrygo isn’t far behind. But it is often a question of patience, which is never required when it comes to the Seleçao. The longer the match remained goalless, the quieter the crowd became and the more tension was felt on the pitch.
If you were generous, you could say that Brazil created enough openings to win the match on several occasions. But they were mostly half chances and they will know that the other teams in the group will behave the same way after such an unexpected result.
Can Brazil feel wronged by the referee?
Brazilian players argue with the referee at SoFi Stadium. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Frustrations can boil over when you face a defensive block like that; Brazil racked up 48 touches in the box during a fruitless 90 minutes, while their opponents Costa Rica sat deep and absorbed the pressure, and could only muster two.
As time passed and the tackles got tougher, things started to get tense. Mexican referee Cesar Ramos let many significant challenges pass, including a clumsy collision between full-back Haxzel Quiros and Vinicius Jr midway through the first half, with the defender charging at the tricky winger and making strong contact in the penalty area. Disbelieving teammates set the tone for fierce competition.
A disallowed goal did little to improve Brazil’s mood; A marginal offside and a lengthy VAR review kept an increasingly agitated group waiting, while a penalty call late in the first half sparked outrage among most of the team. team, remonstrating with the referee for almost two minutes before the resulting corner was finally taken. In all honesty, it looked like Juan Pablo Vargas’ arm was well placed at his side.
Another day, Rodrygo scores a first-half penalty and Brazil cruises to a routine victory. But Dorival Junior’s men will still have a block to break against Paraguay on Friday, on an even hotter day; they will have to keep their emotions under control.
What can Costa Rica learn from this result?
Costa Rica players kneel on the field after securing the draw. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Pretty? No. Effective ? Absolutely right.
For Costa Rica’s highly experienced coach Gustavo Alfaro, it was one of those rare evenings where everything went according to plan tactically. Of course, Costa Rica rode their luck at times: Brazil hit the post, wasted numerous chances and will feel aggrieved at being denied a penalty in the first half. But Alfaro’s team played with courage and spirit, defended their lives and showed incredible confidence.
Juan Pablo Vargas expertly led a beleaguered three-man central defense, and behind him Patrick Sequeira made a few crucial saves, including one from his own player: Haxzel Quiros wore the expression of a hugely relieved man after his header in the second post. was postponed late. Who needs Keylor Navas, eh?
This is a remarkable result in the circumstances, given that there were prior real concerns about whether Costa Rica could be swept away by Brazil. After all, this is a team that has lost goals at an alarming rate over the past year. Panama beat them three times twice, and the United Arab Emirates and Martinique both scored four. Brazil? Zero.
What did the leaders say?
Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro: “I think the defenders and midfield did a good job limiting 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 get the results we expected. They were very clear about their game plan. Even with all the substitutions and alternatives we used, they were heavy on marking – double marking was happening all over the field. We have created many opportunities. We may not have been the best in our finishing, but Brazil played like they trained, winning the balls with great regularity. But we missed this important detail.
What’s next for each team?
Paraguay vs. Brazil — Friday, June 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/Saturday, June 29 at 2:00 a.m. UK (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)
Colombia vs. Costa Rica — Friday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. ET/11:00 p.m. UK (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)
Required reading
(Top photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)