10-Man Uruguay stuns Brazil 4-2 in penalty shootout to advance to Copa America semifinals

La Celeste have now defeated Brazil in the last two games.

After concluding the group stage phase as Group C table toppers, Uruguay locked horns with Group D runners-up Brazil in the fourth quarterfinal of Copa America 2024 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Uruguay started the game on the front foot as they bossed the game early on, leaving Brazil looking rattled. As Uruguay continued to press forward, Brazil survived a scare when striker Darwin Nunez’s deflected effort just narrowly missed the target.

After a cautious opening, the match soon shaped into an intense encounter, with several robust challenges and brief altercations being exchanged between the two South American giants.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered a major blow to their positive momentum as star defender Ronald Araujo’s Copa America clash came to an end due to a leg injury, and he was replaced by José María Giménez for the remainder of the game.

However, just minutes later, La Celeste were ever so close to taking the lead as Darwin Nunez’s free header from point-blank range missed the target. After a relatively quiet half, Brazil responded with a massive chance of their own, as, following a fantastic move, Raphinha had his one-on-one effort superbly saved by Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.

Despite great goal-scoring opportunities at both ends of the pitch, the match hung in balance at 0-0 heading into the break.

The second half was marred by constant breaks in plays owing to the increased physicality induced by both teams into their respective gameplans, resulting in a ceremony of yellow cards showcased by the referee.

After being forced into a substitution in the first half due to an injury, Marcelo Bielsa had a bigger headache to deal with in the final quarter of the match as his side were reduced to 10 men due to Nahitan Nández’s bad foul, which was upgraded from an initial yellow card to a straight red card following a VAR check.

In the closing minutes of the game, Coach Dorival Junior made tactical tweaks of his own as he used all five of his substitutions in order to inject fresh energy and increase the pressure on a weakened Uruguayan team.

However, neither side could find a late breakthrough winning goal, as the match finished 0-0 at the end of regulation time, with the decisive penalty shootouts up next.

Ultimately, it was Uruguay who held their nerves more, as they had just one of their five spot kicks saved compared to Brazil’s once saved and one missed penalty, resulting in La Celeste winning the penalty shootouts 4-2 and advancing to the semifinals of Copa America 2024, where they are set to face Colombia.

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