Peru and Brazil are set to face off in the 2021 Copa America semifinals after winning in their action-packed quarterfinals matches yesterday.
Both teams grind their teeth to earn their Final Four berths as Los Incas outlasted La Albirroja in the penalty shootout while the Samba Boys held on against La Roja despite being undermanned.
It was a goalfest for Peru and Paraguay as five different men scored in regular time and both rosters were reduced to 10 men when things got intense and physical.
In the penalties, Miguel Trauco became the hero for Peru with his deciding goal to keep their hopes alive in trying to recreate their iconic 2019 Finals run.
Meanwhile, Brazil didn’t play up to par since they kept on misfiring early but a second half goal from Lucas Paqueta was just enough for them to move on.
With the action heating up in the Copa America, here at SBOTOP we review what happened last night in our roundup.
Peru 3-3 Paraguay (4-3 on pens.)
The quarterfinals tiff between Peru and Paraguay is arguably the most thrilling tournament match so far since it featured numerous Copa America 2021 highlights.
As expected, Paraguay were without one of their best players in Miguel Almiron as the Newcastle United midfielder suffered a hamstring strain during their previous game against Uruguay.
But even without their talisman, Paraguay kickstarted the scoring binge at the 11th minute when Gustavo Gomez tapped the ball into the empty net after a corner kick.
10 minutes later, Gianluca Lapadula answered back by scoring his first after a lovely dime from Andre Carrillo.
The Benevento striker eventually put Peru ahead before halftime when he chipped the ball past Antony Silva after receiving a nifty pass.
The odds tilted slightly to Peru’s favour when Gustavo Gomez was sent off in added time after a second yellow, but Paraguay didn’t back down come the second half as Junior Alonso levelled in the 54th minute.
Yoshimar Yotun reclaimed the lead for Peru with a goal from the edge of the box in the 80th minute. And when Andre Carrillo got his second yellow after a clumsy charge, it resulted in a late goal from close range by Gabriel Avalos to send the game into the penalty shootout.
Angel Romero, Gianluca Lapadula, Junior Alonso, Yoshimar Yotun all scored their penalty kicks for their respective teams. After that, David Martinez overcooked his shot while Santiago Ormeno’s ball was blocked by Antony Silva.
Braian Samudio missed his attempt while Renato Tapia put the pressure on Paraguay when he converted the succeeding penalty. But a Robert Piris Da Motta goal and a blocked Christian Cueva shot levelled the score.
Eventually, Miguel Trauco put on the finishing touches with his low shot after an Alberto Espinola miss to guarantee Peru’s date with Brazil in the semis.
Brazil 1-0 Chile
Brazil had to pull out all the stops to beat Chile in their quarterfinal match despite playing the majority of the second half with only 10 players.
In the first half, the Selecao had their best chance when Neymar picked out Roberto Firmino at Chile’s far post, but the Liverpool forward missed the target altogether.
After that sequence, this time it was Ederson who had to step up for Brazil when he thwarted Eduardo Vargas’ attempt following a clever move to shake off Thiago Silva.
Gabriel Jesus almost put Brazil in front before halftime through a lovely ball from Neymar, but his attempt was tipped over the crossbar by Claudio Bravo.
Second-half substitute Lucas Paqueta gave the Samba Boys the precious lead 60 seconds following the intermission when he volleyed the ball into the net after a brilliant build-up from Brazil.
But the outlook changed during the 48th minute when Gabriel Jesus was sent off for a straight red when he karate-kicked Eugenio Mena’s face as he was going for a loose ball.
With the advantage of an extra man, Chile turned up the pressure as they were hunting for goals which put Brazil on the back foot for large parts of the second half.
Ben Brereton, who has been the unsung hero for Chile, created the closest chance for Chile to equalise when his header hit the crossbar.
But in the end, La Roja — who were winners in 2015 and 2016 — couldn’t buy a goal and they crashed out in this competition.
Brazil are slated to face Peru in the semis next Monday. The Samba Boys are favoured by the Copa America 2021 odds since they’ll be playing at home but Los Incas will do all they can to spoil the party.
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