Copa America 2019: Brazil 0-0 Paraguay (4-3 on penalties) - 3 Talking PointsÂ
The first semifinalist at the ongoing Copa America has been confirmed, after Brazil needed penalties to see off Paraguay in a keenly contested match at the Arena de Gremio Porto Alegre.
In a match that was devoid of goal-scoring opportunities, the hosts did just enough to progress and will now have to wait for either Argentina or Venezuela for their semifinal fixture. In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the game.
#3 Brazil show lack of cutting edge
Brazil came into this tournament as red hot favorites to lift the trophy for the ninth time in their history and began their sojourn on home soil in impressive fashion, dispatching Bolivia with ease in a convincing 3-0 scoreline.
Their next fixture was less inspiring, as they were held to a goalless draw by Venezuela while a 5-0 thumping of Peru in their final group game brought back smiles to their compatriots.
However in the game against Paraguay, the Samba Boys showed a distinct lack of cutting edge, failing to impose their authority on the Guarani, and this was rather a shame given the sheer amount of attacking talent on display for the country.
While they might have been lacking the services of Everton's Richarlison, who pulled up with a bout of mumps, Brazil still had more than enough arsenal in their armory to see off Eduardo Berizzo's men.
The hosts played like a team and showed great fluidity in their buildup, having 70% of the possession but somehow saw their work crumble whenever they got to the final third, as no matter how hard they tried, they simply could not breakdown a resolute Paraguay back line.
In total, Brazil managed 25 attempts but rather surprisingly, just eight were on target, with most of those eight being target practice for Robert Fernandez. This was a rather disappointing return, given the sheer chunk of possession they owned in the opening 40 minutes or so.
The best chance of the night fell to Roberto Firmino but rather surprisingly, the Liverpool man failed to bury the ball in the back of the net.
Though they ultimately made it to the semifinal, Tite would be hoping that his wards' performance in the match against Paraguay was a one-off, as they might not be let off the hook again moving forward.