▲ Defender Daniel Muñoz (21) at the moment of scoring the equalizing goal for Colombia, which secured first place in the group. Photo Afp
From the Editorial Staff
The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, July 3, 2024, p. a10
Brazil has the prestige of being a five-time world champion. It doesn’t matter how they get to the final stages of a tournament, whether they play with three or more forwards or prefer to defend in their area; in any circumstance, they are the rival to beat for anyone. Colombia came close to doing so yesterday in the Copa America. They competed, they were strong and they created the best goal opportunities, but the Canarinha managed to hold on to a 1-1 draw with only flashes of his quality.
In the match that defined the leader of Group D in Santa Clara, California, the Yellow green The team only brought its importance to the pitch for a few moments. This time there was no festive night or samba rhythm. Its lack of coordination was not judged harshly, but it was clear that its main strength is its individuality. Raphinha’s goal in the 12th minute served as proof.
Just when the Colombian attack was most pressing, the Barcelona striker sent a left-footed free-kick into the top left corner of Camilo Vargas’ goal to make it 1-0. With this, Brazil found a change of pace in its level of play, an outlet for the ideas developed by Colombia.
In a comparison for each line from midfield forward, James Rodríguez was better than Vinicius Júnior, the same as forward Jhon Córdoba over Rodrygo. But the scoreboard did not do justice until the end of the first half.
After a play that began with a slide near midfield, Córdoba – a former player for the now-defunct Jaguares de Chiapas in Liga MX – turned on the half moon and passed the ball to Crystal Palace full-back Daniel Muñoz to level the score in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Alisson Becker (45+2).
The joy of the Colombians could have been even greater, but minutes earlier Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela disallowed a goal by Davinson Sánchez, through the VAR, following an alleged offside position.
Worried about not seeing the Brazil that his fans are used to, coach Dorival Júnior looked for answers on his bench. Although he improved at the start of the second half, this only increased the spirits of his rival. Led by a brilliant James Rodríguez, the attacks of Luis Fernando Díaz and Córdoba, later replaced by Rafael Santos Borré, were clearer than the few organized by the team. Canarinha.
The clearest chance came through the feet of Santos Borré, who was set up by a cross from Díaz on the left wing and, when he finished, his shot flew wide despite having an open goal. Everyone in the Brazilian squad breathed deeply. Although the group lead was at stake, Vinicius and company gave it up in the final stretch of the match.
Colombia finished ahead with seven points and will face Panama in the quarterfinals, while the five-time champion, without any partying, finished in second place (five) to face Uruguay. The other series are Argentina-Ecuador and Venezuela-Canada.
In Austin, Costa Rica said goodbye to the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Paraguay, placing itself in third place (four points), behind Brazil. Francisco Calvo and Josimar Alcócer scored the goals for Costa Rica. Ramón Sosa cut the score for the Albirroja.
2024-07-03 10:21:28
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