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Uruguay vs Brazil live updates: Uruguayans prevail on penalties to reach Copa America semifinals
Uruguay beat Brazil on penalties
Uruguay survived a late red card as they won a penalty shootout to dump an underwhelming Brazil out of the 2024 Copa America.
There were precious few chances in a tense, tetchy game which included 41 fouls, making it the dirtiest of the tournament so far. And Nahitan Nandez saw red late on for an ugly lunge on Rodrygo.
But Brazil failed to make their numerical advantage count and they were made to pay when both Real Madrid’s Eder Militao and new Juventus signing Douglas Luiz failed to score from the spot.
Uruguay won the shootout 4-2 and Marcelo Bielsa’s side will next face Colombia in the semifinals in Charlotte on Wednesday.
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Brazil out, Uruguay win on penalties, most fouls in 2024 Copa America
Bielsa: Muscular injury for Ronald Araujo
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Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa provided an update on Ronald Araujo's condition after the match: "It's a muscular injury. We will find out maybe tomorrow when we do the analysis."
The Barcelona defender suffered the injury in the first half and was subbed off.
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Fouls aplenty
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As reflected in the previous post, this game had 41 total fouls. That figure stands as the most of any match at this tournament.
Uruguay accounted for 26 of those fouls, the highest total they have posted in a Copa America match since the start of the 2015 edition of the tournament.
Dorival Junior: 'We all want this team to get back to where it once was'
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Dorival Junior also spoke about Brazil's preparation for a shootout: "We trained penalties since our first day in Orlando. We knew there was a good chance of a shootout at some stage. Rodrgyo was unable to stay on until the end after the red card. He was one of the takers. But we had others who were capable. Someone had to miss. One team has to win. Unfortunately, we ended up being eliminated.
"We're working with love and patience. We all want this team to get back to where it once was. There were positives during this period. The results weren't what we wanted. I accept that and take responsibility. But I have no doubt that this team will grow from here."
Dorival Junior: 'We still have a lot to work on'
More from Dorival Junior following Brazil's elimination: "Everything is a process. There are always difficulties along the way. We're still far away from where we'd like to be. Other teams have had longer to work. We leave the competition unbeaten but not happy. We expected more.
"Uruguay have an established way of playing. That's clear. They're been together longer and have had time to correct issues. We will get there, it's just a question of time. We improved a few things since the start of the tournament, but we still have a lot to work on. We have taken a big step towards improvement.
"Endrick is a kid who will find his place. He had a good game today. He didn't have many chances but he fought to the end. That's the commitment we all want to see."
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Dorival Junior: 'There are more positives than negatives'
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Speaking after Brazil's elimination, manager Dorival Junior reflected on his team's performance: "There were positives over the games. Obviously, after a game like this, all the good things are canceled out. I'm aware of that. We didn't play at a great level technically but we fought. We never stopped going for results. We were brave. There are more positives than negatives from this campaign.
"It wasn't a great day in terms of creativity. The defences had the better of the attacks. It was a game of duels and few moments of lucidity from either teams."
Uruguay looking for first Copa crown since 2011
Uruguay have reached the semifinals of Copa America for the first time since 2011, which also happens to be the last time they won the tournament.
Brazil, meanwhile, miss out on reaching the final (let alone the semifinals) for the first time since 2016.
Instant reaction to Uruguay's win
Jack Lang and Thom Harris were on hand in Las Vegas to dissect the chaos of this match. They've broken down the biggest talking points from this one, looking at:
- How Uruguay stopped Brazil
- How Endrick got on
- Whether Nandez’s red card was justified
Follow the link below to check out their analysis!
GO FURTHER
Brazil out, Uruguay win on penalties, most fouls in 2024 Copa America
Brazil looked unprepared for penalties
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There were some very strange aspects to that shootout from the Brazil players. Militao was doing shoulder bumps with the ball as he walked up to take his penalty kick, which was saved. It's easy to say this after the event but he looked extremely casual to me.
Then there was a surreal stare down for quite a few seconds between Luiz and the Uruguayan goalkeeper where Luiz appeared to be trying to intimidate his opponent, only to miss the target and smack the post. It all felt a bit ad-hoc and unrehearsed from a Brazil perspective.
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Brazil are adrift
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Just as in the 2022 World Cup, Brazil have been eliminated on penalties at the quarterfinal stage here. They had a very poor tournament.
They weren't signs of the needed improvement under managers Menezes or Diniz when the CBF was waiting for Carlo Ancelotti to join them, and there haven't been signs under Dorival now.
Valverde rises to the occasion
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Speaking of Fede Valverde, he did not take a penalty in Real Madrid's shootout against Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg earlier this year because he told assistant coach Davide Ancelotti he was tired. The Uruguayan would later admit that, in addition to fatigue, he did not feel psychologically prepared, and that he would work from then on to get rid of that bad taste in his mouth.
It seems he succeeded in that goal! He took the first penalty in this shootout and looked super confident as he fired the ball into the back of the net.
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