Wuilker Farinez single-handedly won a point for Venezuela in the Copa America 2021 Group B fixture against Colombia. The goalkeeper made save after save to help his side open their account in the tournament. Meanwhile, in the second match, Brazil beat Peru 4-0 courtesy goals from Alex Sandro, Neymar, Everton Ribeiro, and Richarlison.
Here’s a recap of both the matches from the third matchday of Copa America 2021.
COL vs VEN
Colombia’s attacking unit had a day to forget as they failed to find the back of the net despite having 23 shots on goal. Farinez was outstanding, but poor finishing, too, cost the 2001 champions three points. Colombia was down to ten men in the final minutes of the match after substitute Luis Diaz received a straight red card for stamping on the foot of Francisco La Mantia.
Venezuela was clueless at the back and should consider themselves lucky for not being punished for their mistakes. Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata missed quite a few chances, while Luis Muriel blasted over the bar from six yards. The Venezuela goalkeeper pulled off a world-class save to keep out Mateus Uribe’s acrobatic effort. He also denied Zapata and Murie’s efforts from point-blank range.
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: W Farinez Aray (11.5 pts), D Sanchez (10 pts), W Tesillo (10 pts), D Munoz Mejia (9.5 pts), L Mago (8 pts)
BRA vs PER
Neymar steered Brazil to their second successive win in the tournament. The PSG forward scored a goal and played a pivotal role in setting up two more in the second half. It was Sandro who opened the scoring as he slotted home a Gabriel Jesus pass from 12 yards. The left-back could have doubled the lead when his effort from the edge of the box went over the bar. Peru came close to leveling the game through Yoshimar Yotun, who attempted to chip the ball over Ederson, but Danilo cleared it away for a corner.
An eventful second-half played out as Brazil had a penalty overturned, Neymar punished the Peru backline and made it 2-0, and Alex Valera missed the target from six yards. In the 89th minute, two substitutes combined for Brazil’s third. Richarlison squared the ball to Everton Ribeiro, who nodded it past a helpless Peru goalkeeper. The provider then turned into a goalscorer in the stoppage time. He pounced on a rebound and registered his first goal of Copa America 2021.
Goalscorers: A Sandro, Neymar, E Ribeiro, Richarlison
Assists: G Jesus, Fred, Richarlison
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: A Sandro (18.5 pts), Richarlison (16 pts), Fred (13 pts), Neymar (12.5 pts), E Militao (10 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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