Despite Neymar being in the stands, Brazil failed to score against Costa Rica in their Copa America Group D opening match on Monday night, finishing in a 0-0 draw.
Brazil dominated possession, but Costa Rica’s deep defense worked as a strategy against superior opposition.
Brazil were further frustrated early on by a series of questionable decisions from the refereeing team, including a goal by Marquinhos that was ruled offside by the video assistant referee after 30 minutes.
Brazil got off to an unspectacular start to the match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and tried to liven things up by bringing on 17-year-old Endric for Vinicius Junior in the 71st minute.
AthleticJack Lang, Stuart James and Tom Harris of give their impressions of the match…
Is a deep defence effective in stopping Brazil?
It’s telling that Brazil’s two most promising attacking moments came after a first half where Costa Rica had little to attack despite having more possession than they did. In an ideal world, Brazil would play like this, utilising Vinicius Junior’s directness on the counter-attack and Lucas Paqueta’s passing ability. That’s exactly how they played against England and Spain in March, giving Dorival Junior a promising start to his time as manager.
The problem is that most teams won’t attack Brazil with numbers and confidence. As a result, the pitch is narrow, the players are packed together and pace isn’t an issue. This is no problem for Manchester City, who have time to practise their passing patterns, but it’s much harder at international level and even harder when the manager has only been in charge for four games.
Brazil could have done with record goalscorer Neymar (centre) watching from the stands. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Brazil have players who can open the locks – Paqueta is a genius in tight spaces, Rodrigo no less – but often it’s a question of patience, and patience is never in abundance with the Selecao. When games go long without scoring, the crowd goes quiet and the tension is palpable on the pitch.
You could be generous and say Brazil created some chances to win the game, but they were mainly fringe chances and after that unexpected result they will know the rest of their group will do the same.
Is Brazil angry at the referee?
Brazilian players argue with a referee at SoFi Stadium (Ronaldo Martinez/Getty Images)
Facing such a defensive block can lead to frustration: Brazil touched the ball in the box 48 times in the 90 minutes but failed to produce, while their opponents Costa Rica defended deep and absorbed pressure but only managed to touch the ball twice.
As the minutes went on, the tackles became more intense and the match began to get tense. Mexican referee Cesar Ramos let a number of big challenges stand, including an awkward collision between full-backs Hacsel Quiroz and Vinicius Junior midway through the first half, which saw the defender charge across the tricky wing and make heavy contact inside the penalty area, leaving teammates in disbelief and setting the tone for a tense match.
The goal disallowed did little to improve Brazil’s mood; a narrow offside and lengthy VAR decision left an increasingly agitated team waiting, while a call for a penalty late in the first half angered much of the team, leading to nearly two minutes of protests at the referee and eventually a corner kick. To be honest, Juan Pablo Vargas’ arms looked safely tucked away at his sides.
On another day, Rodrigo’s first-half penalty gave Brazil a comfortable victory, but Dorival Junior’s men must find their feet again on Friday when they face Paraguay on an even hotter day. They will need to control their emotions.
What can Costa Rica gain from this outcome?
Costa Rican players took a knee on the pitch after securing a draw. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Pretty? No. Effective? Yes, it is.
For Costa Rica’s experienced coach, Gustavo Alfaro, this was one of those rare nights when everything went according to plan tactically. Yes, Costa Rica got lucky at times — Brazil hit the post, squandered a number of chances and will be angry about a first-half penalty being disallowed — but Alfaro’s team played with courage and grit, defended for their lives and showed incredible confidence.
Juan Pablo Vargas expertly orchestrated a besieged three-man centre-back formation, with Patrick Sequeira behind him making some key saves, including one from a teammate. Haxel Quiroz looked incredibly relieved after his header at the far post was deflected late on. Who needs Keylor Navas?
It was a surprising result in the circumstances, given the pre-match concerns that Costa Rica might suffer a heavy defeat against Brazil. After all, Costa Rica is a team that has conceded goals at an alarming rate over the past year. Panama conceded three goals twice, while the United Arab Emirates and Martinique both conceded four goals apiece. Brazil? Zero.
What did the manager say?
“I thought our defense and midfield did a good job to limit Brazil’s chances,” Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro said. “We were like Bruce Willis in ‘The Sixth Sense.’ Everybody thought we were dead before the movie even started.”
Brazil coach Dorival Junior said: “We didn’t achieve the result we expected today. They had a very clear game plan. They marked us closely, even with all our substitutions and alternatives. There was double marking all over the pitch. We created a lot of chances. Maybe we weren’t the best in finishing, but Brazil played like they trained and were very consistent in recovering the ball. But we missed that important detail.”
What’s next for each team?
Paraguay vs Brazil — Friday 28 June, 9pm ET / Saturday 29 June, 2am BST (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)
Colombia vs. Costa Rica — Friday 28 June, 6pm ET/11pm UK time (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)
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(Top photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
