Brazil was eliminated from the Copa America 2024 quarterfinals after losing to Uruguay 4-2 in a penalty shootout, following a goalless draw on Saturday in a rough and uneventful match in Las Vegas, Nevada. In another match, Colombia, led by James Rodriguez, crushed Panama 5-0.
Uruguay, which finished the last fifteen minutes with ten players after Nahitan Nández was sent off, will face Colombia in the semifinals on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, defending champion Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will play against Canada, which is participating in the tournament for the first time, on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Both Uruguay and Argentina seek to hold the record for the most titles, currently sharing 14 titles.
Neither Brazil nor Uruguay managed to score, with Brazil's attacking star Vinicius Junior missing the match due to suspension, and the teenager Endrick starting for the first time with the "Seleção." The 17-year-old, who will join Real Madrid after the tournament for $64 million, dribbled past Uruguay's defenders but fell victim to the toughness and sometimes roughness of his opponents.
In the boxing-crazed city of Las Vegas, Uruguayan players committed 26 fouls out of 41, including a dangerous challenge by Nández on Real Madrid's Rodrigo in the 74th minute. The match had few chances, including a close header from Liverpool's Darwin Núñez, but his attempt went wide past Brazil's goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Barcelona's Raphinha responded with a shot that was saved by the goalkeeper.
Uruguay's players, under coach Marcelo Bielsa, exhausted their opponents in the midfield and held on until the end of regular time, leading to a penalty shootout. Uruguay's goalkeeper Sergio Rochet stopped a shot from defender Éder Militão, and Douglas Luiz's attempt struck the bottom of the bar, giving Uruguay a 3-1 lead. Alisson Becker's saved José María Giménez's penalty was not enough, as Brazil exited the tournament with just one win in four matches, beating Paraguay 4-1 in the group stage and drawing against Costa Rica 0-0 and Colombia 1-1.
Coach Dorival Junior (62 years old) excluded midfielder Casemiro, forwards Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison, as well as veteran defender Thiago Silva from Brazil's lineup, while Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson missed out due to injury.
**James Shines**
Colombia, led by James Rodriguez, thrashed Panama 5-0 in Glendale, Arizona. The 32-year-old had a fantastic match, scoring one goal and providing two assists, reminiscent of his performance for Colombia ten years ago at the World Cup in Brazil, when they reached the quarterfinals.
James stated, "It was a tough match despite the wide result. They are strong, but we entered well and scored quickly, which gave us control of the game." The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich player, now with São Paulo, added, "Let's hope to reach the final. We are all going through a good time. We have a very good team and everyone is committed to achieving the goal."
On the other hand, Panama's coach, Danish-Spanish Thomas Christiansen, felt the score was harsh on his team. "In my opinion, the score was exaggerated. But the mistakes we made cannot be done against a team like Colombia, with their speed, strength, and the moment they are going through." He continued, "I am proud of my players, even if it isn’t the result we hoped for. But we must learn from this."
The "Cafeteros," who have not lost in 27 matches, opened the scoring early with a header from John Cordoba after a corner taken by James (8). James then scored from a penalty after Panama's goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera fouled John Arias inside the box (15). After Panama hit the post, James set up Luis Diaz with a clever free kick, which he converted to crush Panama's hopes before halftime (41).
In the second half, Colombia maintained their composure, and Richard Rios completed the scoring with a shot from about 25 meters (70). In stoppage time, after coach Néstor Lorenzo rested James for the last 30 minutes, Colombia was awarded a second penalty after José Cordoba fouled Santiago Arias, which substitute Miguel Borja converted to seal Colombia's scoring spree (90+4).
