Brazil’s Copa America campaign gained momentum with a decisive 4-1 victory over Paraguay, thanks to a standout performance from Vinicius Jr, who netted twice. After a lackluster draw against Costa Rica in their opening match, Brazil was under pressure to secure a win before facing Colombia in their final group game.
Early Opportunities and First Half Brilliance
The breakthrough came in the 30th minute when Brazil was awarded a penalty for a handball following a shot from Lucas Paqueta. However, the West Ham midfielder missed the target. Paqueta quickly redeemed himself by setting up Vinicius Jr for the opening goal just four minutes later, concluding a brilliant team play.
Just before halftime, Savinho extended Brazil’s lead, capitalizing on a defensive error from Paraguay to score his first goal for the national team. Vinicius Jr then added another in stoppage time, intercepting a clearance to make it 3-0.
Paraguay’s Response and Brazil’s Continued Dominance
Paraguay managed to pull one back shortly after the break with a stunning long-range effort from Omar Alderete. Despite this, Brazil continued to dominate and were awarded another penalty in the 65th minute, again for handball. This time, Paqueta made no mistake, scoring Brazil’s fourth goal.
The match saw rising tensions as Andres Cubas received a red card for an altercation with Douglas Luiz. Despite this, Brazil maintained control to secure a comfortable win.
Colombia’s Commanding Performance
In other Group D action, Colombia maintained their strong start with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica. Luis Diaz converted a penalty to open the scoring, followed by Davinson Sanchez’s header from a corner to double the lead. Jhon Cordoba completed the rout with a close-range strike.
Colombia, leading the group, will face Brazil in their final group stage match on Tuesday evening, needing only to avoid defeat to secure the top spot.
