Brazil to face Uruguay in Copa America quarterfinals without Vinicius Jr. with Real Madrid star suspended

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Following a 1-1 draw against Brazil, Colombia have topped Group C, setting up a match with Panama in the Copa America quarterfinals while Brazil will face Uruguay in the match that undoubtedly highlights the slate. It was a match that showed the shifts in South American soccer as Colombia are now unbeaten in 26 matches while Brazil continue to underperform and will now be without Vinicius Junior for a critical match against Uruguay due to yellow card accumulation.

It has been rough time for Dorival Junior in charge of the Brazillian national team who are currently sixth in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying after six matches. Neymar Jr. has been absent with a knee injury and instead of transitioning into their next era, Brazil are searching for their talisman. It felt like Vini Jr. was turning a corner by scoring a brace against Paraguay but not enough of an impact has come from Lucas Paqueta and Rodrygo alongside him. An attack that was fluid and embodied the beautiful game has sputtered only producing 0.25 xG. 

Colombia have a great defense but Brazil not being able to breach it from open play despite having two-thirds of Real Madrid’s front line leading the attack is nothing but a disappointment. Raphinha’s free-kick to open the scoring was excellent but more of that inventiveness is needed in the build-up for Brazil to show that they can win this edition of Copa America. 

Los Cafeteros have shown that they can get goals from every member of the team as Daniel Munoz’s equalizer was enough to net the draw but Brazil will not only need to find a goalscorer but they’ll also need to slow down a Uruguay side that is the top scoring team in Copa America. 

It could be a chance for Endrick to start a match on the left wing but even that change doesn’t feel like enough. Against Paraguay, Brazil created chances via Savio but opted to move away from him in this match, going with more standard options in attack. While rotation is key, these are the kind of things that happen after trying to wait out Carlo Ancelotti, hoping that he would leave Real Madrid, going through two managers in the process instead of figuring out a permanent solution. The frustration around Brazil is clear as expectations are high but the performances haven’t matched. Anything short of winning it all will lead to more questions, but Brazil have done very little to prove their contender status.