Brazil secured the last spot in the Copa América quarterfinals with a 1-1 draw against Colombia. Raphinha scored first for Brazil in the 12th minute, but Colombia equalized through Daniel Muñoz in stoppage time of the first half.
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Brazil secured the last spot in the Copa América quarterfinals but failed to triumph against Colombia (1-1) and will have to play for a spot in the semifinals against Uruguay.
The Brazilian team, with Porto's Wendell in the starting lineup, took the lead thanks to a goal from Raphinha in the 12th minute, but Daniel Muñoz equalized at 45+2, and the score remained the same until the end, giving the Cafeteros the victory in Group D.
The Colombians, who missed their 11th consecutive victory but achieved their 26th unbeaten match, finished the group stage with seven points, compared to Brazil's five. Costa Rica won 2-1 against Paraguay, who lost all three matches and finished with four points.
In the quarterfinals, Colombia will face Panama, while Brazil will play against Uruguay, who won all their matches in Group C, in a highly anticipated duel scheduled for Saturday.
At Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, both teams introduced changes, with Raphinha, formerly of Vitória de Guimarães and Sporting, returning for Brazil in place of Savinho, and Devier Machado replacing Mojica for Colombia.
The match began with Vinicius Júnior practically ruling himself out of the quarterfinals by receiving a yellow card for an unnecessary foul on former Porto player James Rodríguez, who, from the resulting free kick in the eighth minute, hit the crossbar.
Brazil's first threat came at the 10-minute mark from Bruno Guimarães, and the second resulted in a goal at the 12-minute mark: after an unnecessary foul by James on João Gomes, Raphinha expertly scored from the direct free kick into the top left corner.
Trailing, Colombia took control and created several chances to equalize, through James at 16 and 34 minutes, and former Porto player Luis Díaz at 45+2, following a poor pass by Alisson, who ultimately corrected his mistake.
Still in the 45+2 minute, Colombia managed to equalize, with James, making an effort, passing to the center at the edge of the area to Córdoba, who then set up Daniel Muñoz on the right, who didn't miss as Alisson came out.
In the second half, a reaction from Brazil was expected, but it was the Cafeteros who dominated. In the final part of the match, they had two good chances to win, both squandered at the 84-minute mark by substitutes Carrascal and Borré, the latter in a particularly shocking manner.
In stoppage time, at 90+5 minutes, Colombia had a scare, but Camilo Vargas was in the right place and stopped Andreas Pereira's shot.
In Austin, Texas, at Q2 Stadium, the game started with two goals from Costa Rica. They took the lead in the third minute with a header from Francisco Calvo after a cross from Mora, and extended the advantage in the seventh minute with a long-range shot from Josimar Alcocer.
Paraguay felt the impact of the two blows and took some time to react, but gradually started to fight back. In the second half, at 55 minutes, they managed to equalize through Ruben Sosa, assisted by Mathías Villasanti.
Until the end, the South Americans tried everything to at least leave with a point from the Copa América, but they couldn't. In the 90+4 minute, Ángel Romero had a great opportunity, but was thwarted by a magnificent save from Patrick Sequeira.
Brazil's quest for Copa América glory continues to be a challenging journey. Despite their early lead and promising start, the team's inability to maintain their advantage and secure a win against a resilient Colombian side highlighted areas needing improvement. The upcoming match against Uruguay will be a crucial test of Brazil's ability to overcome setbacks and prove their mettle in the tournament.
