The quarter-finals of the Copa America saw Uruguay and Brazil face off, with the game ending in a goalless draw and eventually decides by a 4-2 penalty shootout in favour of Uruguay. In spite of bowing out at this stage, Brazil’s coach, Dorival Jr, remains hopeful that this inexperienced squad is capable of greater achievements in future contests, particularly the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Despite having a man sent off in the second half, Uruguay managed to hold their Brazilian opponents at bay throughout regular play at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Having overcome Brazil via penalties, Uruguay now loom in the semi finals where they will be challenging Colombia.
Brazil, who previously performed unconvincingly during the earlier group stage rounds and had been ousted in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, again fell short at the quarter-final hurdle. Dorival Jr took complete charge of the national team’s progression, acknowledging the ongoing process of rebuilding and redefining the team, expressing his “full responsibility” for their departure from the Copa America.
Highlighting the challenges faced by the team, Dorival emphasized the need for growth and evolution. The primary goal now is to qualify for the World Cup, with Dorival acknowledging his discomfort with Brazil’s current sixth-placed standing in the Conmebol league.
Hired as national team coach only since the start of the year, Dorival also expressed his admiration for Uruguay’s impressive side, helmed by Marcelo Bielsa. Uruguay, he said, serves as a model of what Brazil aspires to become. Speaking highly of Uruguay’s clear-cut game strategy and their ability to adapt and improve, Dorival has faith that similar successes await his Brazilian squad once they have sufficiently rectified their own shortcomings.
Despite falls at the beginning of the tournament, Dorival feels Brazil learned swiftly from those errors. Yet, some time is needed to accelerate improvements for the future, he concluded.
Bielsa acknowledged Uruguay’s tenacity and steadfastness under duress, commending the unique style of their team. Bielsa stated to journalists, “The Uruguayan style is clear in every occurrence since the players consistently give their utmost for the squad”.
He described the match as tightly contested with minimal goal opportunities, an evenly balanced possession and very few changes. The decision to focus on defending their half once they were a player short was well-executed.
“The fact that the Uruguayan team managed to maintain their lead demonstrates the embodiment of Uruguayan football. Their composure during the penalty shoot-out that requires precision as well as grit was commendable” Bielsa added.
Traditionally, Bielsa’s teams are recognised for their unyielding offensive football and Uruguay, the highest goal-scoring team, managed nine goals in the group stage alone. Nonetheless, maintaining three consecutive clean sheets also contributed to Uruguay progressing to the semi-finals. Bielsa was swift to attribute the success to the team’s mindset and defensive ability, rather than exclusively to his own influence.
Bielsa observed, “I have a leaning towards the offensive play more than the defensive, but in a tightly contested match like this, we managed to create one more chance than the opposition and we defended successfully. A Uruguayan coach suggested that learning defence on the field is a truism since Uruguay has a consistent defensive line-up”.
He specifically mentioned their matches against Mexico, USA, and Brazil, all of which resulted in clean sheets. Bielsa commended, “Despite defence not being my main strategy, the players intuitively excel at it resulting in impressive clean sheets”
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024