Uruguay knocked out title favourites Brazil to enter the semi-finals of Copa America 2024 on Saturday, July 6. The ten-man Uruguay held off the star-studded Brazilian side to take the game to the penalties and registered a 4-2 win in the last quarter-final in Las Vegas.
Defender Nahin Nandez was shown a direct red card in the 74th minute for his tackle on Real Madrid star Rodrygo. But Brazil's famous attack was not able to find the back of the net against Uruguay's impressive defence. Brazil maintained better possession but managed to lodge just three shots on target.
The star centre-back Eder Miliato missed the first penalty effort and then new Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz hit the post. Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker denied Jose Gimenez but Uruguay recorded four shots to storm into the semi-final.
Uruguay will be facing Colombia next with the latter thrashing Panama 5-0 to reach the top-four. In the first semi-final, the defending champions Argentina will take on Canada on July 9.
Brazil managed to register just five goals, including four against Paraguay, in four matches in the tournament. The star forward Vinicius Junior scored two goals against Paraguay and was suspended for the Uruguay clash. Brazil's head coach Dorival Junior, who took charge in January this year, took full responsibility for Brazil's defeat and set his next target to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"This type of work requires a great amount of patience," Brazil coach Dorival Junior said. "I do have to acknowledge that these weren't the expected results, and I take full responsibility for them, but I do think as well that this team has great room to grow and evolve and improve. This is a process; in general, you come across difficulties when you're creating a team. This was our first official tournament, and the result was far from what was expected, our main objective now is to qualify for the World Cup."
