Brazil survived the scare of a penalty shoot-out to advance into the semi-finals of Copa America with a narrow triumph over Paraguay, but the game left more questions than answers as the hosts were held to a stalemate in normal time.
Even the advantage of playing against ten men for half an hour was not enough for Tite’s men to make the breakthrough they needed, and a penalty miss by Roberto Firmino left the shoot-out poised at 3-3 after four kicks apiece, before Derlis Gonzalez’s miss allowed Gabriel Jesus to stroke home the winner.
Needing the lottery of penalties to advance past a poor team like Paraguay does not bode well for Brazil’s chances of going all the way, but every tournament winner needs a bit of fortune and maybe Brazil’s came as they ended a run of bad-luck exits against Paraguay – which starts off our talking points from the game.
Paraguayan penalty hoodoo buried
After suffering Copa America exits in penalty shoot-outs against Paraguay in both 2011 and 2015, Brazilian hearts must have collectively sank when this tie finished goalless to force another bout of penalties.
But it proved to be third time lucky for the hosts as they prevailed in a nervy shoot-out 4-3, bookended by Liverpool keeper Alisson saving the first kick and Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus banishing a disappointing overall display by converting the last.
The fact they eventually managed to win is the only real positive Brazil can take from the game, because it was not a good performance as they struggled to break down a resolute Paraguay side which was reduced to ten men for the final half hour with the dismissal of Fabian Balbuena for a last-ditch foul on Roberto Firmino.
True, Brazil did create chances to win the game in normal time, only to be denied by a combination of wayward finishing, good goalkeeping from Paraguay stopper Roberto Fernandez and the upright blocking a strike from substitute Willian. But the chances Brazil fashioned were largely through perspiration rather than inspiration, and the star forward trio of Philippe Coutinho, Jesus and Firmino were all below par. So a win is a win, but coach Tite will have plenty of food for thought.
Heartbreak for Paraguay
Poor pitch hampers hosts
Much of the pre-match chat was centred around the question of whether Brazil would be able to find fluidity on a poor pitch in Porto Alegre, and those fears proved to be well-founded as the hosts struggled to produce much flowing football despite enjoying a predictably heavy share of the possession.
The hard and uneven nature of the surface made close control difficult, and midfield playmaker Arthur Melo committed a few uncharacteristic errors as the ball bobbled frustratingly out of reach, while wingers Everton and Jesus were hampered in their dribbling efforts by the unreliable rub of the green, and Coutinho was particularly off colour as he struggled to make his usual quick bursts and changes of direction.
Of course, the pitch cannot be solely blamed for the disjointed nature of Brazil’s performance, but the condition of the turf quite simply should not be allowed to become any kind of protagonist in such a major match as a continental quarter-final. And the game should be used as an example and a warning to future organisers of major tournaments: if you want to host a big event, at least provide a decent pitch.
Brazil struggled to play their game
VAR plays its part
It seems that no football game can take place at the moment without VAR playing a central part in proceedings, and that proved to be the case again here as a big flash point in the second half exerted a significant impact upon the rest of the game.
With an hour played, Brazil’s forward duo of Firmino and Jesus produced their best interchange of the night as the latter released a perfect pass to give the Liverpool man a run through on goal. Firmino’s charge was halted by a desperate last-ditch challenge from Balbuena, and referee Roberto Tobar pointed straight to the spot for a penalty. So far, so straightforward.
But then came VAR. After consulting with his tech-based assistants, Tobar jogged to the sidelines to review the incident and came away with two conclusions: firstly, he flourished a straight red card in the face of Balbuena for the challenge, and then changed his initial penalty decision to a free-kick on the edge of the box, judging the offence to have taken place just before the line of the penalty area.
In VAR’s defence, both decisions – red card and free-kick – were correct, so justice was served. But they were also fairly marginal, and many fans will feel technology should not intervene for close calls. And more importantly, the review just took too long, with five minutes elapsing between the foul and the taking of the eventual free-kick. This, surely, is where VAR must be improved: use technology to make better decisions, by all means. But use it quickly. If not, we’ll all get bored.
