ECUADOR 0
BRAZIL 0
PASADENA, UNITED STATES // Brazil showed touches of magic but a lack of killer instinct as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Ecuador in their Copa America Group B opener on Saturday.
Despite seeing their team force chance after chance Brazil’s traveling support had to settle for a single point as the eight-time champions lost momentum in the second half at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl.
The game began at an intense tempo with a flurry of chances at either end in front of a disappointing crowd of 53,158 which filled just over half of the stadium, the venue of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup final victory over Italy.
Both teams had been prepared for intense heat but southern California’s searing daytime temperatures had cooled by kick off to a merciful 26°C.
Brazil were without several firstchoice players, most notably their talismanic captain Neymar, and they were clearly missing the Barcelona forward's bite.
The most clear-cut opportunities fell at either end of the match to Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who forced a corner from close, and Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Lima, whose glancing header couldn’t find the target.
See also:
• Diego Forlan: For once, Uruguay will be one of the favourites at Copa America, not the underdogs
• Ian Hawkey: Willian, Juan Cuadrado and eight players to watch out for at Copa America
Brazil began to take control halfway through the first half as the pace inevitably dropped, with Coutinho and Felipe Luis getting plenty of room down the left and Willian’s pace forcing the aging Walter Ayovi to drop increasingly deeper.
Ecuador looked sporadically dangerous on the counter, tempting Brazil’s Casemiro and Elias into yellow card fouls while Gil was booked for dissent.
Their best chance before half time came via a 25-yard free kick from West Ham United forward Enner Valencia, which was plucked comfortably out of the air by Brazil keeper Alisson.
Ecuador came to California riding high in their World Cup qualifying group but with a woeful Copa America record of 10 defeats and just one win in the last four editions.
They started the second half brightly, with Valencia holding the ball up well and Swansea winger Jefferson Montero looking dangerous.
They even appeared to have scored when Alisson fumbled an innocuous Miller Bolanos cross into the net, but it was judged to have gone out of play, and the game limped to a draw to boos from the fans.
Dunga’s five-time World Cup winners face Haiti on Wednesday in Orlando were they will be expected to win comfortably.
Ecuador, who entered the tournament tied with Uruguay at the top of Conmebol’s World Cup qualifying table, face Peru in Arizona on the same night.
HAITI 0
PERU 1 (Guerrero 61')
Paolo Guerrero’s second-half header got Peru off to a winning start in the 2016 Copa America as they beat Haiti 1-0 in Seattle.
The former Bayern Munich striker nodded in Edison Flores’s cross on the hour and, in doing so, moved above Teofilo Cubillas as the all-time leading scorer for the national team with 27.
Peru created two chances in the opening five minutes. Alejandro Hohberg sent an effort narrowly wide from 25 yards and Christian Cueva shot straight at Johnny Placide.
See also:
• Ian Hawkey: Christian Pulisic, American Eden Hazard, just may be the long-awaited US superstar
• 2016 Copa America Centenario: Results, reaction, schedule, news, analysis
Haiti, ranked 74th in the Fifa rankings and making their Copa America debut, grew into the game as the first half wore on and Mechack Jerome blazed a free kick over the bar on 29 minutes.
Peru, though, were quickly back into the ascendancy as Renato Tapia struck wide from long range on 37 minutes and Flores came even closer on the stroke of half-time with an effort which hit the post.
Renzo Revoredo was denied by a fine Placide save in the early stages of the second period but the Haiti keeper could do little to deny Guerrero, who was lurking at the back post to convert Flores’s delivery on 61 minutes.
Guerrero was denied an immediate second goal by Placide but Peru, who finished third last year, held on for victory in their Group B opener.
PARAGUAY 0
COSTA RICA
Paraguay played out a 0-0 draw in a feisty Copa America clash against Costa Rica in Florida.
A Group A game of few chances was book-ended by a yellow card after just 15 seconds for Costa Rica’s Yeltsin Tejeda and a red card for his teammate Kendall Waston in added time.
Jorge Benitez, who also picked up a booking early on, sliced a shot wide on 15 minutes and that was the closest Paraguay came to opening the scoring in the first half.
Ramon Diaz’s side looked the more likely to break the deadlock, but they had to wait until 71 minutes for their next chance which fell to Nelson Valdez.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker got a touch on a cross from the right, but Patrick Pemberton got down to his right to prevent the ball nestling into the far corner.
Costa Rica left it late to muster their best attempt, with Christian Bolanos’s long-range strike pushed away, unconvincingly, by Justo Villar on 89 minutes before Waston was sent off for a lunge on Valdez.
Next up for Paraguay is Colombia on Tuesday, while Costa Rica will lock horns with tournament hosts the United States.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
