Even in Las Vegas, the capital of excesses, Brazil showed that it had become a team without vices, one that neither drinks nor smokes nor gambles nor takes risks. In its most subterranean version of recent times, even of this century, the only five-time world champions confirmed that they are suffering from a disconcerting crisis of play and identity and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa América USA 2024. After a tedious 0-0 in the ninety minutes, Uruguay – the brave Celeste led by Marcelo Bielsa – was their executioner in the penalty shootout by 4-2. Goalkeeper Sergio Rochet stood out by saving a shot from Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz shot at the post.
While a rested Colombia awaits a proud but exhausted Uruguay in Wednesday’s semi-finals, Brazil has already begun its melancholy return. It is true that it finished its Copa undefeated, but it only won one of the four matches it played, and that was against a Paraguay that lost all its matches. In its farewell match in the United States, Dorival Junior’s team once again lacked football and determination: it could not even take advantage of the numerical advantage it had in the last 17 minutes, after Nahitan Nández was sent off for a violent foul on Rodrygo.
In addition to the absence of Neymar, who has been injured since last October, Vinicius was suspended for this match. He picked up two yellow cards – both of which were avoidable – in the first phase and left the Copa América with the same debt with which he arrived in the United States: he is a player who shines more at Real Madrid than with his national team. The underlying doubt is that, beyond the fact that Dorival Júnior’s cycle has just begun, Brazil does not seem to have much else at its disposal: have the oil wells of Brazilian cracks dried up?
Still far from its best, but after a great test of character in the middle of a very physical match, the Celeste – the most successful Cup winners, along with Argentina, with 15 trophies – reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2011, precisely its last title, the only one this century. The match, however, left much less than expected. If men’s soccer does not end up entering American culture, it would be best if the tape of these 90 minutes were erased from all archives. The 0-0 was punctuated by 41 fouls, 26 by Uruguay and 15 by Brazil.
From a neutral perspective, the match between two countries that have won seven World Cups together was disappointing from the start. Just as WhatsApp allows you to increase the speed of audio to 1.5x or 2x, Conmebol could have broadcast the first half at 45x to finish as quickly as possible: unlike the fame that surrounds Las Vegas, the city where anything can happen, in the first half of Brazil-Uruguay little to nothing happened.
Perhaps confused by the different temperatures on Saturday in Nevada, inside and outside the stadium, the match never found its climate. Outside, a hellish 46 degrees Celsius shook the afternoon but, thanks to air conditioning, the teams agreed that the match would be played at 22 degrees. In the areas, it even seemed that temperatures below zero were activated: the forwards did not step on enemy territory.
With the match locked in the middle of the pitch, where every ball was played as if it were an episode of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones – with Fernando Valverde in the leading role – Brazil resigned itself to a cautious, dispirited stance. If it weren’t for the fact that it was a Copa América, and not a World Cup, for the yellow jersey it could have passed for a Uruguay-Sweden or a Uruguay-Australia. Sixth in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and with only one win in the first three games of the initial phase, Dorival Júnior’s team seemed to feel the weight of the circumstances, a duel for survival in the tournament: not only were they playing against Bielsa’s Uruguay but also against Brazil itself.
Without Neymar and Vinicius, Brazil missed any kind of leader, even a Casemiro, who was not called up due to his few minutes at Manchester United last season. Brazil’s attack was entrusted to Endrick, a 17-year-old and recent signing for Real Madrid, who in his first match as a starter in the Cup showed bravery but was also a victim of his loneliness and the brave Uruguayan chieftains. He only had one shot on goal.
Against an initially passive Brazil, Uruguay controlled the ball in the first half and had more initiative, but at the same time lacked the determination to step on the accelerator: Alisson did not sweat in any play, partly due to the air-conditioned atmosphere of the stadium but also because, in the clearest chance for the Celeste, an erratic Darwin Núñez missed the header when he was alone in front of the Brazilian goalkeeper. On the contrary, a defensive Brazil managed to get Raphinha in front of Sergio Rochet a couple of times, but the Barcelona forward finished uncomfortably.
In the second half, with Uruguay more tired and affected by Ronald Araújo’s injury, Brazil lost some of its initial timidity. The expulsion of Nández, who was often on the verge of a red card but was especially violent in his infraction against a good Rodrygo, ended up taking the game to Uruguay’s camp. At a numerical disadvantage, Bielsa took Darwin Núñez off and Uruguay was left without offensive references, waiting for penalties, and again with Luis Suárez on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. Brazil, however, let itself be consumed by the inconsequential way it passed through the United States.
Rochet saved Eder Militao’s first penalty and Doulgas Luiz hit the post. Except for José Giménez, Uruguay showed effectiveness and, not so much for these 90 minutes but for their very good first round, they rightly made it to the semi-finals, even at the cost of a very physical match. In that sense, Colombia seems to arrive with an advantage against the Celeste: against Panama they had a walk in the park. The worst thing for Brazil is that once again, and as has been the case for quite some time now, they also lost against Brazil. The most joyful football in the world has lost its joy.
You can follow Morning Express Sports on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
