Brazil 2-2 Colombia: 3 reasons why the game ended in a draw | International friendly
The clash between Brazil and Colombia was an intriguing contest, as Paris Saint-Germain's striker, Neymar, marked his return to the national team with a goal and an assist.
The Colombians were without the services of seasoned frontmen, Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, however, that didn't stop Los Cafeteros from breaking their goal hoodoo, as Luis Muriel stepped up to the plate big time.
The Brazilian team was the better side on paper, and they were expected to see off the Colombian challenge with a win due to their impressive defensive record and the fact that Carlos Queiroz's men had been goal-shy lately.
What we got instead was a spirited Colombian performance, as they matched their more illustrious opponents pound for pound. The game had a total of 24 shots, with Los Cafeteros having 10 shots and two shots on target. The possession was also almost evenly split, as Brazil had just 57 per cent of the possession.
Casemiro got the goal procession off to a start with a header off a Neymar corner kick into the box in the 19th minute, as both sides struggled initially to break the deadlock, with wave after wave of attack ending with shots off target.
Alex Sandro became the villain moments later as he was penalised for a reckless challenge in the box. Luis Muriel stepped up to convert a well-taken penalty, pulling Los Cafeteros level in the 25th minute.
The Brazilians continued to be wasteful in front of goal, with Richarlison and Philippe Coutinho missing clear cut chances in quick succession. They were however punished moments later, as Luis Muriel struck again. He latched onto a Duvan Zapata pass into the box and sweetly pinged his shot past Manchester City's Ederson Moraes in the 34th minute.
The game went into half time with Brazil's streak of 16 games unbeaten hanging on a thread, as Colombia looked to celebrate their manager's 200th cap in grand style.
Neymar had other ideas though, as he finished off a flowing Brazilian attacking play, receiving a Dani Alves driven pass just in front of goal in the 58th minute. A goal and an assist on his return was certainly a good result for the striker on his return.
Here are three reasons why the match ended in a draw.
#3 Lots of missed chances
In a game with many shots - 24 in total, few were on target. Brazil hit the target just four times, and Colombia got two on target - both of which ended as goals. That paints a glaring picture of how wasteful both sides were in front of goal.
Sitters were missed by the likes of Richarlison and Phillipe Coutinho, while Duvan Zapata and Cuadrado led the procession on the other end.
Both teams, especially Brazil, will need to work on their finishing in the games ahead, as more ruthless teams will take advantage of such glaring goal mouth gaffes. However, with both teams making a whole lot of errors, this game will certainly teach the two teams a valuable lesson.