Defending champions Brazil and Colombia got off to a winning start on the opening day of the 47th Copa America. Marquinhos, Neymar, and Gabriel Barbosa were on the target for hosts in the 3-0 win over Venezuela, while Edwin Cardona’s first-half strike helped Colombia pip Ecuador in the second game.
Here’s a recap of both the matches from the first matchday of Copa America 2021.
BRA vs VEN
The Mane Garrincha Stadium was empty, but Brazil produced a confident performance at home in the tournament opener. Neymar and Co outclassed Venezuela who couldn’t find a way to stop Brazil’s waves of attacks. The South American giants could have taken the lead within the opening ten minutes as Richarlison and Eder Militao spurned glorious chances. But PSG defender Marquinhos made it 1-0 in the 23rd minute. He latched on to a loose ball in the six-yard box and cleverly steered into the net.
Venezuela struggled to build attacking moves and was lucky not to concede early in the second half. However, they gave away a penalty immediately after the hour mark. Neymar converted the spot-kick, awarded for a foul on Danilo, to double Brazil’s advantage. In the 89th minute, the PSG forward, who could have scored a hat-trick with the chances he had, set up Gabriel Barbosa to register Brazil’s third goal of the evening.
Goalscorers: Marquinhos, Neymar, G Barbosa
Assists: Neymar
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: Marquinhos (20 points), Neymar (17.5 points), E Militao (10 points), D Luiz Da Silva (9 points), Fred (8.5 points)
COL vs ECU
A clever set-piece goal and a solid outing from goalkeeper David Ospina saw Colombia down Ecuador in their Copa America 2021 opener. Despite having more possession, Ecuador failed to create clear-cut chances. It was Enner Valencia who came close to drawing the first blood. He tried to tap home from a Fidel Martinez’s pass, but Ospina made a crucial interception.
With five minutes left for half-time, Colombia was awarded a freekick for a foul on Juan Cuadrado. Cardona, who took the set-piece, exchanged a couple of short passes with Cuadrado, who floated the ball into the box for Miguel Borja, and the striker headed the ball down to Cardona to help the 28-year-old fire home from a close range. The offside flag immediately went up, but the referee reversed his decision after a video review.
Ecuador came out strongly after the break and created a few half chances. They controlled the possession but couldn’t force a good save from Ospina. At the final whistle, the Colombians wrapped up three points and a clean sheet too.
Goalscorers: E Cardona
Assists: M Borja
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: E Cardona (14 points), Y Mina (9.5 points), M Borja (9 points), O Murillo (9 points), D Munoz Mejia (8.5 points)
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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