Copa America 2016: Without Neymar, Brazil was held to a draw by Ecuador

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite having superior ball control, the absence of "soul" Neyma prevented Brazil from finding a goal and had to share points with Ecuador in the first match.

Brazil actually really wants a title to dispel the shame of the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa America. Therefore, Brazil only proactively saved star Neymar for the upcoming 2016 Olympics at home. And this is also a reluctant decision, because they could not convince Barca to allow them to use Neymar in both tournaments this summer.

Brazil's attack was powerless against Ecuador's solid, focused defense.

Not only in Copa America 2016, Brazil in general has been in a period of decline for many years, and has not yet escaped. Besides two consecutive bad tournaments, the 2014 World Cup and Copa America 2015, they are also playing very disappointingly in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Coach Carlos Dunga and his team are currently ranked 6th in the race to Russia in the South American region, having only won 9 points after 6 rounds, and were held to a draw in the last 2 rounds, against Uruguay and Paraguay (both with a score of 2-2).

Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian national team is going through a period of prosperity, gathering a team of quality players, evenly distributed in all lines. Many Ecuadorian players are playing in major tournaments in Europe and the world, such as: Valencia (Man United), Jefferson Montero (Swansea) or Enner Valencia (West Ham). Ecuador is also ranked second in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in South America, 4 places higher than Brazil. These factors have helped them feel confident against an ambitious Brazil but with a "shrunken" squad.

Ecuador had dangerous counter-attacks but no goals were scored.

Because they knew each other so well, the two teams entered the match cautiously, only keeping the speed at an average level and emphasizing safety in their home field. Ecuador was the team that had the first dangerous situation of the match with a right-footed shot by Bolanos in the 5th minute. Brazil immediately responded with a run to make a close-range shot by Coutinho after a cross from Willian, but goalkeeper Esteban Dreer made an excellent save.

From the 10th minute, the match speed began to increase, Brazil pushed up the formation, continuously organizing a siege on the opponent's goal. The defense and the goalkeeper of Ecuador had to work hard but could not prevent the goal from being shaken violently a few times. Although not having the strongest squad when traveling to the US to participate in Copa America 2016, the players on the field were not necessarily the most elite faces of the country's football. However, the Brazilian team played quite rhythmically and smoothly.

The two teams played tit for tat, Brazil constantly organized attacks but had no successful opportunities. Meanwhile, Ecuador still stood firm in the face of all storms like a challenge to the Samba dancers and had dangerous counter-attacks, making Brazilian fans' hearts stop. The left wing with Montero's mobility is still Ecuador's main attack direction. Captain Dani Alves's right-back position is being thoroughly exploited by the opponent because the former Barcelona player is old and Montero possesses terrifying speed.

In the final minutes of the match, Brazil tried to pressure their opponents to score a goal but they were powerless. All their efforts were in vain. Besides the solidity of Ecuador's defense, Brazil's attack was not very creative, very mechanical and methodical, so it lacked the necessary breakthrough to break the deadlock.

The two teams left the field with a 0-0 draw, temporarily ranked 2nd and 3rd in Group B. Peru temporarily took the lead thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory over the weakest opponent Haiti in the match a few hours earlier. Ecuador was probably the happiest team because they achieved the requirements set out at the beginning of the match. Meanwhile, Brazil still has a lot of work to do if they want to go deep in this tournament.

Kim Thuy