GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Saturday's Copa American quarterfinal, where shambolic Brazil fell to Uruguay
Is this really what Brazil are now? This is the nation, after all, with more World Cup trophies than any other. Their books tell the lore of stars like Pele, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Zico, Roberto Carlos and, most recently, Neymar. Land of , the country of showmanship, the founders of .
Brazil are supposed to be fun. They are the team who dances like no other, the squad you fall in love with on the field.
Saturday night in the Copa America quarterfinals against Uruguay, they looked anything but. There was no Samba, no Joga Bonito. It was a dire, lifeless, mess. A 0-0 draw in regulation. La Celeste topped the Selecao 4-2 in the ensuing penalty shootout, advancing to the semifinals where they will take on James Rodriguez and Colombia.
The Selecao were dragged into a borderline murderous contest by Uruguay, and never looked like getting out of it. After a scoreless 90 minutes, they were sent out of the Copa America on penalty kicks – and on performance alone could have few complaints.
Forced to operate without the suspended Vinicius Jr – and severely lacking the creative instinct brought by the injured Neymar – Brazil turned in a miserable showing. Despite having more possession of the ball, their attacking flow was nowhere to be found. Across 90 dire minutes, they managed just three shots on target, and rarely had the ball near the Uruguay goal.
Chances were at a premium in general here, and the Selecao never really figured out how to create them. Raphinha had two good looks in the first half, but that was otherwise it – this game always seemed destined for penalties. And when it came to the big moment, Brazil collapsed. Douglas Luiz and Eder Militao missed their spot-kicks, while Uruguay buried four of five to advance to the semis against Colombia next week.
Brazil, now, are forced to reset.
They have now exited back-to-back major tournaments on penalties, and have some serious questions to be asked ahead of the 2026 World Cup cycle. Perhaps becoming reasonably watchable would be a good start.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Allegiant Stadium…
GettyWINNER: Marcelo Bielsa
Who says Bielsa can't win big games? The legendary manager has a surprisingly poor record in knockout football – a coach ultimately more effective for his tactical principles than individual game management. But here he got everything right – and was vindicated in doing so. Bielsa ensured that this was a truly miserable contest for Brazil. He was happy for his team to fly into tackles – and they obliged. They clattered Endrick, chipped at Rodrygo, and ensured that Lucas Paqueta didn't have room to think.
26 times, to be exact.
But he also devised a diligent press, and at least attempted to piece together some interesting counter-attacking sequences. Indeed, cleaner finishing from Darwin Nunez – and a bit more composure elsewhere – would have seen his side win this one comfortably in 90 minutes. It wasn't pretty, but Bielsa realized he was outmatched for individual quality here, and pieced together a plan to ensure that his team stayed in it right until the end. Job done.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Vinicius Jr's Ballon d'Or hopes
The Ballon d'Or, should it be considered relevant, is reliant on much more than club football. Indeed, if it was an award dictated entirely by the 40+ games of a grueling domestic season, then Vinicius should run away with this year's rather comfortably.
However, it is not so simple.
International competitions matter immensely, and Vinicius won't get any credit for this one. He was suspended in their most important match, and could only watch as his team toiled through the contest. It might have been a frustrating sight for the winger, sat high in the stands behind Joel Embiid, to see his team so devoid of attacking ideas.
This was an ugly game, but Vinicius is one of the few players in world football who could have perhaps broken it open. Instead, he was forced to look on as his country fell apart.
His award hopes are now dependent on the performances of others. His main rival, Jude Bellingham, could be in line for a deep Euro 2024 run – which would seem to rather hamper his chances. England have advanced to the semifinals of their respective competition, while the Selecao couldn't even manage that. There is surely a Ballon d'Or in Vinicius' future. But this year's might just have slipped away.
GettyWINNER: Manuel Ugarte
How do you define "sh*thousery?" Well, a look at Manuel Ugarte's performance here might be a good start. The Uruguayan pieced together an evil, yet immensely effective, showing in the middle of the park. A perfect "dark arts" performance to tie up a quarterfinal win.
First, the bad. He completed just one dribble, put one shot wildly off target, and played just 28 passes all game. But those stats don't tell much, if any, of the story. Ugarte dominated the midfield by virtue of scrappiness alone. He committed six fouls, and got away with countless others. He could have been sent off for second yellows on numerous occasions, and spent most of the evening getting in the referee's face.
But when the time came, he was as calm as anyone on the pitch, tucking home the winning penalty past Brazil's Alisson to secure a historic win. This was by no means a pretty outing, but it was the exact kind of showing Uruguay needed.
The perfect villain.
GettyLOSER: Rodrygo
With Vinicius out and Endrick kept quiet, the Selecao needed someone to step up. That man figured to be Rodrygo, who has shown in the last 18 months for Real Madrid that he can be a game-changing attacking presence – especially in big contests.
And all of the pieces were in place here. Rodrygo was deployed on the wing, matched up against a somewhat reckless opponent, with the kind of defensive cover behind him to allow him the freedom to create. But when the pressure piled out, Rodrygo collapsed.
He managed just 42 touches, and a mere two in the Uruguay box. He completed only 12 passes, and failed to put a shot on target. His only major influence, in fact, was to bait the reckless Nahitan Nandez into a silly red card. There will be other nights for the Madrid man, who is still just 23. But his team needed him here, and he fell flat.