Brazil 2-1 Colombia: Hits and Flops as Neymar inspires hosts to a dramatic comeback in injury time | Copa America 2021
Brazil produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Copa America group stage fixtures. Casemiro headed in Neymar's cross in the 10th minute of injury time to seal the win for the home side.
The game got off to a cracking start as Colombia hit the ground running and found the back of the net with their first and only attempt on goal of the first half. Juan Cuadrado delivered an inviting cross which was met by an audacious bicycle kick from Luis Diaz.
Brazil dominated the game after conceding the opener but just could not produce the final touch in front of goal. Neymar took the onus of creating chances for his side upon himself and put in a tireless display that was capped off with an assist for Casemiro's match-winning goal.
The game saw quite a few physical challenges and referee Nestor Pitana was called into action a lot. He was later involved in a controversy when Brazil equalized. The ball had struck him in the build-up of the goal and Colombian players had switched off in anticipation of him stopping the play.
He allowed the play to go on and despite heated protests from the visiting side, the goal stood. After feeling hard done by the referee, the visiting team brought in a barrage of fouls over Brazil players.
Brazil won eight corners in the game and with their last one scored the winning goals to extend their winning run to 10 games. They are guaranteed a spot in the knockout stages and will be looking to rest key players in their game against Ecuador.
With this comeback win, Brazill displayed the mentality of champions. With that being said, here we take a look at the players who impressed and disappointed in this exhilarating encounter.
Luis Diaz (Colombia) - Hit
Luis Diaz did not necessarily prove to be a nuisance for the Brazil defenders. But his acrobatic effort in the 10th minute ensured an early lead for Colombia, who knew they were going to be dominated by the in-form Brazil side.
The chance was created from a well-taken cross by Juventus star Juan Cuadrado, whose in-swinging ball beat everyone in the box and was met incredibly well by the forward. That would go on to be Colombia's only shot on goal in the first half, so his already impressive goal assumed even greater significance.
He was also very active down the left flank and managed to get the better of Danilo on multiple occasions.
Gabriel Jesus (Brazil) - Flop
Gabriel Jesus played most of the game out of position. He was mainly forced to act as a right-winger and just could not have any real impact on the game. The Manchester City forward was pushed even further out of his comfort zone when Tite introduced Roberto Firmino on the pitch after the break.
He could've opened the scoring in the 66th minute when Brazil created a great chance after a quick transition. But Neymar, who was chasing the ball from almost 40 yards out, took the shot at goal and denied a simple tap-in to the 24-year-old.
Also See: Top 5 national teams with the most fans in the world