The opening day of the Copa America 2021 quarterfinals witnessed three red cards, seven goals, and a penalty shoot-out. Peru (PER), who finished runners-up in Group B, eliminated Paraguay (PAR) 4-3 on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Ten-man Brazil (BRA) grabbed a 1-0 win over Chile (CHI) courtesy of Lucas Paqueta’s goal in the opening minute of the second half.
Here’s a recap of the action from Copa America 2021 matchday 11:
PER vs PAR
Peru became the first to reach the semi-finals after defeating Paraguay in penalties. There were twists and turns as Paraguay took the lead early but twice came back from a goal down. The match went to penalties after it ended 3-3 at full-time. It was also 3-3 after five attempts in the shoot-out. Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese denied Alberto Espinola’s spot-kick in the sudden death, while his teammate Miguel Trauco converted his penalty to guide Peru into the last four.
In the 11th minute, Gallese made an excellent one-handed save to David Martinez’s header from a corner. However, the rebound fell at the feet of Gustavo Gomez, who tapped the ball into the empty net. The Paraguayan defender found the back of the net again. Peru’s Andre Carrillo tried to set up Gianluca Lapadula, and Gomez’s attempt to block the move resulted in deflecting the ball into his own goal.
With five minutes left in the first half, Lapadula put Peru ahead in the match. Yoshimar Yotun released the forward from the left flank with a beautiful pass, and he smashed the ball past an onrushing Paraguay goalkeeper Antony Silva. Meanwhile, Gomez was in the spotlight yet again as the referee showed him a second yellow card for a nudge on Lapadula in the added time.
Paraguay struck first in the second half despite the numerical disadvantage. Junior Alonso pounced on a loose ball from a corner and slammed it home in the 54th minute. Peru players looked frustrated as it was the second time they conceded from a set-piece in the match. But it was the 2019 runners-up who seemed likely to score the third goal. Santiago Ormeno forced a good save off the Paraguayan custodian in the 70th minute.
La Albirroja fell behind for the second time in the game after Yotun’s long-range attempt deflected off Robert Rojas and rolled into the back of the net. The defender’s touch wrong-footed the goalkeeper and put Peru on the brink of a victory. But, in another twist, Carrillo made a second bookable offence and was given the marching orders. The red card seemed to have affected them as substitute Gabriel Avalos made it 3-3 for Paraguay in the 90th minute and forced the match to penalties.
Both teams converted their first two kicks in the penalty shoot-out. But Paraguay missed three of their next four spot-kicks, leaving left-back Trauco the chance to score the winner in the sudden death. The 28-year-old slotted the ball past Silva into the bottom corner, much to the delight of his teammates and coaching staff.
Goalscorers: PER – G Gomez (own goal), G Lapadula, Y Yotun; PAR – G Gomez, J Alonso Mujica, G Avalo Stumpfs
Assists: PER – Y Yotun, A Carrillo; PAR – none
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: G Lapadula (19.5 pts), Y Yotun (18.5 pts), J Alonso Mujica (13 pts), A Carrillo (10.5 pts), G Avalo Stumpfs (10 pts)
BRA vs CHI
A narrow 1-0 win over Chile helped Brazil progress to the semifinals. Paqueta, who replaced Roberto Firmino at half-time, struck the winning goal in the first minute of the second half. They were down to ten men after Gabriel Jesus received a straight red card for a reckless foul on Eugenio Mena.
It took Brazil 21 minutes to create their first real opportunity. Neymar sent a lovely cross from the left, but Firmino couldn’t find a proper connection on the ball. At the other end, Eduardo Vargas saw his attempt pushed away for a corner by Ederson. Full-back Danilo, too, came close to breaking the deadlock after his try from a distance went a few inches over the bar.
Brazil had the ball in the net within 60 seconds after the restart. Paqueta played a one-two with Neymar at the edge of the box, and Sebastian Vegas tried to clear the PSG forward’s reverse pass. The ball instead fell at the feet of Paqueta, who drilled it past Claudio Bravo. A minute later, Jesus found himself in trouble after a violent tackle on Mena. The 24-year-old, trying to win possession, kicked the left-back in the face and was shown a red card.
Despite the man advantage, Chile failed to find a way past Ederson. They had a goal ruled out for offside at the hour mark, Ben Brereton had a header denied by the woodwork, and Jean Meneses’ powerful strike was tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper. Brazil managed to hold on to their lead and set up a semi-final meeting with Peru.
Goalscorers: BRA – L Tolentino; CHI – none
Assists: BRA – none; CHI – none
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: L Tolentino (10 pts), D Luiz da Silva (8.5 pts), T Silva (8.5 pts), Marquinhos (8.5 pts), E Moraes (8 pts)
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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