Brazil held to goalless draw by Venezuela, Peru beat Bolivia 3-1
Brazil followed a lackluster win over Bolivia with a scoreless draw against Venezuela in the Copa America on Tuesday, prompting more jeers from local fans.
Brazil had two goals reversed by video review because of offside calls, one by Gabriel Jesus early in the second half and another by Philippe Coutinho near the end of the match.
Brazil played better than it did in the opener against Bolivia, but it was not able to break through the stout Venezuelan defense at the Arena Fonte Nova.
Despite the setback, the hosts stayed at the top of Group A with four points, tied with Peru, which earlier Tuesday defeated Bolivia 3-1 in Rio de Janeiro. Venezuela, which opened with a 0-0 draw against Peru, has two points.
The group will be decided on Saturday with Brazil facing Peru in Sao Paulo and Venezuela taking on Bolivia in Belo Horizonte. The top two teams in each group advance to the next round, along with the two best third-place finishers.
Brazil thought it had scored with substitute Gabriel Jesus shortly after halftime, but the goal was disallowed after a review showed that Roberto Firmino, who made the pass to the Manchester City striker, was offside when the ball deflected off a Venezuela defender. The Brazilians complained, arguing that it was a pass — not a deflection — by the defender.
Coutinho's goal with about five minutes left in regulation was reversed because his close-range shot deflected off Firmino, who was in an offside position in front of the net. The goal would have stood had the ball not touched the Liverpool forward.
Firmino had a goal disallowed late in the first half for pulling a defender inside the area before he scored.
Brazil's first goal in the 3-0 win over Bolivia on Friday had come from a penalty awarded by video review.
The team had been jeered by fans in Sao Paulo after a lackluster first half against the Bolivians, but this time the crowd of nearly 42,000 fans in Salvador started booing closer to the end of the match at the Arena Fonte Nova. They also chanted "ole, ole" as the Venezuelans exchanged passes near the end.
Many had also jeered coach Tite when he replaced Casemiro by defensive midfielder Fernandinho instead of an attacking player.
It was Venezuela which had the best scoring opportunity in the first half with a close-range header by striker Salomon Rondon that missed just wide.
Brazil nearly got the winner in second-half stoppage time with a header by Fernandinho that nearly found the far corner.
Brazil is seeking a ninth Copa America title. It won the tournament all four previous times it hosted the event, the last time in 1989.
Venezuela's best Copa finish was a fourth place in 2011.
Meanehile, striker Paolo Guerrero led Peru to a key 3-1 win over Bolivia that improved the team's chances of advancing to the knockout stage of Copa America.
Guerrero scored a goal and had an assist that allowed Peru to recover against a weak Bolivia side.
Nearly 25,000 noisy fans at the Maracana Stadium, mostly Peruvian, watched a low-quality match in an arena that was only one-third filled.
Bolivia opened the scoring at 28 minutes after a penalty awarded after video review, with striker Marcelo Martins scoring to the right of Peru's Pedro Gallese.
Despite holding 60% of ball possession until the break, Peru only leveled the score at 45 minutes with the team's most recognizable player.
Christian Cueva found target man Guerrero in the middle of the Bolivian defense. The veteran ran to the right past goalkeeper Carlos Lampe and gently pulled the ball past the goal line.
Peru didn't change much after the break, playing with a slow flow that created few opportunities.
Still, the Peruvians quickly found a second goal, once again thanks to Guerrero.
At 55 minutes, the striker assisted Jefferson Farfan with a cross from the left that ended in a close-range header finding the back of the net.
Bolivia squandered other chances in front of Gallese, but the goalkeeper himself did not have to make any difficult saves.
At 96 minutes, when the match already seemed settled, substitute striker Edison Flores added a third from the edge of the box after a counterattack.
Peru will host Brazil on Saturday at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. Both teams have four points in Group A, but the Brazilians lead on goal difference.
On the same day Bolivia and Venezuela will play at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, in a match organizers expect to have one of the smallest crowds of the tournament.
Venezuela has two points after two games, while Bolivia has zero.
