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Brazil held by Ecuador in Copa America opener
Brazil showed touches of magic but a lack of killer instinct as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Ecuador in their Copa America Group B opener on Saturday.
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Despite seeing their team force chance after chance the Selecao traveling support had to settle for a single point as the eight-time champions lost momentum in the second half at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. The game began at an intense tempo with a flurry of chances at either end in front of a disappointing crowd of 53,158, the venue of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup final victory over Italy.Â
Both teams had been prepared for intense heat but southern California’s searing daytime temperatures had cooled by kick-off to a merciful 78 degrees fahrenheit (26 degrees celsius). Brazil were without several first choice players, most notably their talismanic captain Neymar, and they were clearly missing the Barcelona forward’s bite.Â
The most clear-cut opportunities fell at either end of the match to Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who forced a corner from close, and Paris St Germain winger Lucas Lima, whose glancing header couldn’t find the target. Brazil began to take control halfway through the first half as the pace inevitably dropped, with Coutinho and Felipe Luis getting plenty of room down the left and Willian’s pace forcing the aging Walter Ayovi to drop increasingly deeper.
Ecuador looked sporadically dangerous on the counter, tempting Brazil’s Casemiro and Elias into yellow card fouls while Gil was booked for dissent. Their best chance before half time came via a 25yard free-kick from Enner Valencia, which was plucked comfortably out of the air by Brazil keeper Alisson. They started the second half brightly, with Valencia holding the ball up well and Swansea winger Jefferson Montero looking dangerous. They even appeared to have scored when Alisson fumbled an innocuous Miller Bolanos cross into the net, but it was judged to have gone out of play, and the game limped to a draw to boos from the fans.
Guerrero goal sinks Haiti
In the day’s other Group B game, Peru got off the mark with a 1-0 victory over Haiti in Seattle which saw striker Paolo Guerrero surpass Teofilo Cubillas as his country’s leading international goalscorer. Guerrero, 32, the top goalscorer in the past two editions of the Copa America, headed home his 27th international goal in the 61st minute at CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team. The win was just about deserved for Peru, who created the better chances but struggled to break down a well-organised Haiti defense. Peru looked to be cruising to three points but had a scare in the dying seconds when Haiti’s Kervens Belfort somehow headed wide from close range with the goal at his mercy.
Costa Rica see red in draw with Paraguay
Two-times South American champions Paraguay were held to a goalless draw by Costa Rica in sultry conditions at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday. Costa Rica ended the game with 10 men after defender Kendall Waston was sent off in injury time for a wild challenge. The result leaves Colombia who beat the United States in Friday’s opener, alone at the top of the group with three points. Striker Jorge Benitez showed some excellent footwork to create space inside the box and his low cross was almost turned into his own net by defender Celso Borges.
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