Brazil 4-0 Peru
Tournament favourites Brazil grabbed their second straight victory in the Copa America by annihilating Peru 4-0 at their home pitch on Thursday evening.
Alex Sandro set the tone with his early goal and then it was followed up by the brilliant efforts from Neymar, Everton Ribeiro, and Richarlison.
Despite having a one-goal lead early, Brazil had a slow first half. However, they were able to up the tempo and their greater quality made the difference after the break as Neymar’s flair and creativity was in full display.
The PSG forward was largely anonymous up until the final 30 minutes to where he added another goal under his belt.
And as the match approached the latter stages, Everton Ribeiro and Richarlison inspired the Samba Boys to a couple more goals to complete their attacking masterclass.
Brazil stayed on top of Group A with six points and they are still the highly-favoured team here in our Copa America 2021 odds. On the other hand, Peru fell to the bottom alongside Ecuador due to the defeat.
The Selecao were virtually unstoppable in this contest. And here at SBOTOP, we examine their ruthless display by looking at their Copa America 2021 highlights package.
Highlights of the game
With numerous changes in the starting lineup, Brazil used the first few minutes of the game trying to get themselves acclimated with each other.
But come the 12th minute, the Samba Boys scored their first goal of the evening when Gabriel Jesus delivered a lovely pass to Alex Sandro, who launched a shot that went past the hands of Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Brazil’s second chance came in the 25th minute when Fabinho fired an attempt from outside the box but the ball went too wide on the right side.
Peru actually had more of the possession but they were unable to crack open Brazil’s robust defence despite their chances. Neither team scored for the rest of the first half.
Due to the lack of offence, Tite decided to bring on Richarlison and Everton Ribeiro to replace Gabriel Barbosa and Everton Soares respectively.
Fast forward to the 53rd minute, Alex Sandro tried to double their lead with a shot from 26 yards but it went over the crossbar.
In the 60th minute, Neymar looked like he drew a penalty when fell to the ground after a challenge from a Peru defender. However, the referees rightly overturned the decision after checking the VAR.
Neymar tried his luck few minutes later, and the PSG star made it 2-0 for Brazil with a quick turn and shoot from outside the penalty area.
Brazil put on a passing clinic to get their third goal in the 89th minute as Everton Ribeiro floated the ball into the net following a perfectly placed cross from Richarlison.
During added time, Richarlison scored one more goal while lying on the ground after his first attempt was blocked by Peru’s backline.
Key statistics
Tite has made six changes into his starting XI that beat Venezuela 3-0 last Sunday, but they never missed a beat at all with Neymar and Thiago silva still present.
Neymar was visibly emotional in the post-match press conference since he has inched closer to Pele’s all-time scoring record for the Selecao.
Two years ago, Neymar missed Brazil’s Copa America triumph on home soil due to injury. But before the start of the competition, he was accused of sexual assault that was quickly dismissed due to lack of evidence.
With 68 goals in 107 appearances, Neymar is only nine goals short of matching the Brazilian icon. He is definitely not taking this one for granted as he tries to bring his team back into the promise land anew.
Richarlison has now reached 10 goals playing for Brazil, which puts him into the Top 40 in the country’s all-time scoring list.
The Samba Boys have now scored seven goals in the first two games without conceding anything from the other end.
Peru are losers in five of their last six international matches dating back to October 2020.
What’s next?
Brazil and Peru are scheduled to take on Colombia in their next Copa America match, albeit on different days.
La Bianquirroja will be first to take them on Monday while the Selecao are going to be well-rested when they’ll lock horns next Wednesday.
Those two fixtures are big for Colombia since they’ll be aiming to secure the second spot in the Group A standings.
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