Monday, June 28, 2021 at 00:56• Dominic Mostert

Brazil failed to win the final group stage match of the Copa América. After victories over Venezuela, Peru and Colombia, a 1-1 draw against Ecuador followed on Sunday night. As a result, the host country finishes with ten points at the top of Group B; o Seleco will meet the number four of Group A in the quarterfinals. Ecuador pushes through as number four to meet the winner of Group A. Peru won 0-1 against Venezuela on Sunday night to finish second in Group A. If Venezuela had won, Ecuador would have been eliminated.

Brazil did not make a big impression and that could be explained by the considerably changed starting line-up. National coach Tite chose to make no fewer than ten changes to his line-up for the last group match. Players like Neymar, Thiago Silva, Alex Sandro and Casemiro were on the bench. The lone goal of the first half came in minute 37, when Éder Militão towered over his guards and headed in diagonally on a spiraling free kick from Éverton. It was one of the few serious chances of the first half. The match got off to a slow start; the opening phase was dominated by a remarkable injury at Ecuador.

Moises Caicedo did not land well in the eighth minute after an aerial duel with Douglas Luiz. The Ecuadorian midfielder was treated by medical staff, limped to the sidelines and looked to be replaced. A minute later he returned to the field, but after walking a few meters Caicedo made it clear that he couldn’t go any further: he lay on his back and sat with his hands in his hair. Caicedo was taken off on a stretcher. Remarkably enough, he then returned to the field, after which a replacement came in in the person of Ángel Mena, ten minutes after the injury was sustained. Again Caicedo left the field on a stretcher.

The injury took the tempo out of the game, but Brazil still managed to score in the first half. After the break Ecuador came a lot stronger for the day. Precisely substitute Mena took care of the 1-1, by hitting hard from close by after Brazil couldn’t clear the ball for its own goal. Halfway through the second half, Vinícius Júnior failed to make it 2-1 with his first contact, when he was able to slide the ball in after preparatory work by Lucas Paquetá. There were not many more chances for the winning goal. A run of ten consecutive victories comes to an end for the South American superpower. Brazil can now prepare for the quarterfinals, which will take place on Friday night in Rio de Janeiro. The opponent can be Uruguay or Chile.