2019 Copa America Brazil
Brazil destroyed Peru 5-0 and Argentina beat Qatar 2-0 securing both teams to move onto the Copa America quarterfinals. Brazil will play Paraguay or or the third place nation in group C whereas Argentina will face Venezuela.
Argentina has reached the quarterfinals in the 10 editions of Copa America that they have participated since it was played with the current format (1993); they did not contest the 2001 edition.
Lionel Messi played his 24th match in the Copa America; He reached Teodoro Fernández (Peru) and José Bustamante (Bolivia) in the top ten players with the most games played in the tournament.
Messi commented after the game:
“The important thing was to win for us and to continue well in the competition, to pass the group stage and to settle in the Copa America.
This will be a major boost for what’s to come. Now another Copa begins”.
Next is Venezuela and MLS superstar Josef Martinez at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil as favorites
Brazil responded to the disappointing draw against Venezuela in a terrific way, ensuring group first place and the favorites to win Copa America on home soil.
The host country scored eight goals in the group phase of CONEMBOL Copa América Brasil 2019, their highest number in the 21st century
Coach Tite said post-game:
“The team has persistence and knows how to look at their mistakes. We had creation and precision in finalization. The important is we remained consistent.
We move on to the elimination stage. It is hard, it is a different tournament from this point forward. The team remained lucid, played the way we know how to.
It’s the way we chose to play. This is how we will win and we would lose like this. We continue with an idea to create. That is our mentality.”
