Costa Rica Holds Copa America Favorites Brazil to Goalless Draw in Group D

Seleção Canarinha’s star-studded attack frustrated by robust Costa Rican defense at SoFi stadium.

Tournament favorites Brazil commenced their 2024 Copa America campaign in a Group D affair against Costa Rica at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to conclude the opening round of matchups. The match kicked off on a feisty note, with both teams showing aggression to win the ball through strong challenges and hard tackles. Brazil soon showed their superior overall quality as they amplified the pressure on Costa Rica’s net through multiple efforts in search of an early goal to set the tone.

Around the 30-minute mark, the Seleção Canarinha thought they had navigated a way through the Costa Rican resistance when center-back Marquinhos found the back of the net with a close-range strike following a set-piece situation to give them the lead. However, the joy was short-lived, as after a VAR check, the goal was ruled out to keep the scores level. Brazil completely dominated play in possession, with Costa Rica’s robust low-block defensive setup proving frustrating for the nine-time Copa America champions.

Brazil amassed a total of nine attempts at Patrick Sequeira’s goal throughout the half but had nothing to show in terms of goals, as Gustavo Alfaro’s Costa Rica went into the break as the happier of the two sides with the scores still level at 0-0.

After registering a grand total of zero attempts at Alisson Becker’s goal in the first half, Costa Rica had no intentions of altering their game plan at the start of the second half, as it was working perfectly against this Brazil team. With time running out, the Seleção Canarinha were in urgent need of a spark as they appeared out of their depth in the crucial final third phase of play.

To induce unpredictability into their game, coach Dorival Junior opted for attacking reinforcements in the form of bringing on Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, and Sávio to salvage a late goal in the final quarter of the match. All of Brazil’s constant pressure was nullified by the sturdy Costa Rican defensive structure on every given occasion, culminating in a famous result for Gustavo Alfaro’s Costa Rica team as they held tournament favorites Brazil to a goalless draw in their opening Copa America fixture

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