The players rate as Brazil’s lackluster attack fails to make it to the quarterfinals of the Copa America

Uruguay beat Brazil on penalties in Copa America 2024, sending home the world’s fourth seed in the quarter-finals.

Brazil had a difficult group stage in Copa America 2024, winning only one and finishing second in Group D behind Colombia. While James Rodriguez and co. will face Panama in the quarter-finals, the Selecao must face Uruguay, who won in Group C, without Vinicius Jr., who is serving a penalty for collecting yellow cards.

How the game happened

At the start of the game, Brazil was behind. Uruguay enjoyed possession throughout the first 25 minutes, pinning the Selecao in their own half. Marcelo Bielsa’s side had some good looks on goal, including two dangerous headers from Darwin Nunez, but throughout their dominance, they failed to register a shot on target.

Endrick and Raphinha gradually brought Brazil back into the game, using their pace in attack to produce Brazil’s first chances of the game, but both lacked the quality in the final third to really test Sergio Rochet. Clumsy mistakes quickly became the story of the rest of the half, eliminating any fluidity in the final 15 minutes. Both teams went down 0-0.

Unfortunately, the second half was filled with poor touches and tough challenges from both sides which led to continued broken play. The tension reached a boiling point when Nahitan Nandez made a dangerous foul on Rodrygo, leapt up and made direct contact with the top scorer’s ankle. Initially, the Uruguayan was shown a yellow, but after a VAR review, he was sent off in the 75th minute.

Despite being dominant, the Selecao could not generate significant chances in the last 15 minutes of the match. The game ended with 41 shots before the inevitable penalties. Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz missed penalties for Brazil. Although Andreas Pereira and Gabriel Martinelli buried their chances, and Alisson made one save, it was not enough to deny Uruguay.

La Celeste advanced 4-2 on penalties to the semi-finals, sending Brazil home.

GK: Alisson – 6/10 – Alisson kept a clean sheet against a side that scored nine goals in their three group stage games. The Liverpool goalkeeper saved one penalty in the shootout, but it was not enough to send Brazil to the semifinals.

RB: Danilo – 5/10 – For the second game in a row, Danilo had no impact on Brazil’s attack. And, when he tried to go forward, he left Militao exposed, forcing the Real Madrid player to defend in one position.

CB: Marquinhos – 6/10 – Marquinhos did well along with Militao to keep Brazil getting three clean points in this tournament.

CB: Eder Militao – 6/10 – Militao was the best defender on the field tonight. Whether it was keeping a hole in the net or keeping out Darwin Nunez, the Real Madrid man played a big role in keeping Uruguay at bay. He also did well to cover for Danilo when the right winger was out of the area. Militao missed the penalty for Brazil.

LB: Guilherme Arana – 5/10 – Arana was a surprise addition to Dorival Junior’s starting XI. He was solid defensively, but didn’t have any memorable moments.

CM: Joao Gomes – 5/10 – Gomes struggled to keep up with the pace of the Uruguayan midfielder, so much so that the Brazilian used foul balls as a way to stop La Celeste.

CM: Bruno Guimaraes – 5/10 – Bruno failed to enter the ball and reduce the level of the game, but he fought in the middle of the field. He had little help from the players around him.

CM: Lucas Paqueta – 5/10 – After being taken off at half-time against Colombia, Paqueta did not return for the evening. The midfielder was invisible and did nothing in any part of the game.

RW: Raphinha – 6/10 – Raphinha had Brazil’s best chances in the first half, but the Barcelona man lacked finish. He was a strong presence at the back of the defense, however, to help his team when they didn’t have the ball.

ST: Endrick – 6/10 – Endrick’s speed adds a different dimension to Brazil’s attack, but his small frame let him down tonight as the striker struggled in the match. In the end, the future Real Madrid player had to be selfish in the final third.

LW: Rodrygo – 6/10 – Rodrygo had a quiet first half, but the defender grew into the game as he found himself on the ball more in the second half. He tackled Nahitan Nandez, using his close control skills, and eventually forced the defender to commit a red flag.

What you are holding

SUB: Savio – 5/10 – Savio looked fit, but the replacement couldn’t find success for Brazil.

SUB: Douglas Luiz – 4/10 – Douglas Luiz came up with new legs pressing Uruguay in the last minutes of the game. He missed a penalty during the shootout.

SUB: Andreas Pereira – 5/10 – Pereira came on in the 82nd minute and almost made a bad challenge that gave Uruguay a dangerous free kick and the ensuing corner. The substitute scored a penalty kick after missing Militao.

SUB: Gabriel Martinelli – N/A – Martinelli came in for penalties, and released.

SUB: Evanilson – N/A – Evanilson came on in the 87th minute.

The manager

Dorival Junior – 6/10 – Brazil went to the United States this summer as one of the favorites to win the Copa America 2024, but failed to leave any lasting impression in three of its four matches. Dorival Junior continues to start the same midfield that lacks vision, intelligence, and control, and relies heavily on his wingers to beat defenders one-on-one to create scoring opportunities.

Exiting the Copa America in the quarter-finals as the fourth ranked team in the world is a disappointing result for the Selecao, and Dorival Junior will have to answer for his team’s poor competition.