Messi and teammates lose their right to self-determination; Brazil crushes Peru to enter Copa America quarter-finals
(Baonghean.vn) - Coach Tite and his team dispelled criticism with a 5-0 victory in the final match of Group A on the evening of June 22, while Lionel Messi and his teammates did not have the right to decide their ticket to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Brazil.
Brazil 5-0 Peru
With four points from two games, Brazil needed at least a draw to reach the quarter-finals. However, the home team did more than that. After a difficult start, when Peru had the first chance with a Christian Cueva free kick that went wide, Brazil took the initiative by controlling the midfield.
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| Firmino takes a shot without looking at the goal. Photo: AFP |
From a corner, Casemiro opened the scoring with two close-range headers. Shortly after, Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made a silly mistake when his kick-off hit Roberto Firmino and went back towards goal. The ball hit the post but bounced back to Firmino. The Liverpool striker dribbled past Gallese and finished without looking at the goal.
Brazil star Everton had a chance to face Gallese but was unable to beat him in the shootout. However, the striker did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet. With a surprising turn and finish from outside the box, Everton scored another beautiful goal, helping Brazil close out the first half with a three-goal advantage.
The home side eased into the second half but still managed to add two more goals. Dani Alves joined the attack and after a neat one-two with Firmino, the Brazilian right-back fired home a decisive strike to extend the lead to four goals.
Brazil's strikers missed a few chances and it was not until the final minute of regulation time that the home fans got the chance to witness the next goal. Substitute Willian drove the ball down the left flank and curled his signature shot into the far corner of the net.
One thing that was quite unfortunate for Brazil was that striker Gabriel Jesus could not score. In the second half's extra time, Jesus had a good chance to score after being fouled by goalkeeper Gallese in the penalty area, but he missed.
With this victory, Brazil entered the quarterfinals as the winner of Group A.
Messi and teammates are in a difficult situation.
The 1-1 draw with Paraguay puts Argentina in a difficult position. Lionel Scaloni's team is at the bottom of Group B with one point after two matches and a goal difference of -2. In the final match, if Argentina draws or loses to Qatar, they will not be able to move up in the rankings, meaning Messi and his teammates will be eliminated.
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| Messi and his teammates are in a difficult situation because they have only earned one point after two matches. Photo: Reuters. |
If Argentina beat Qatar and Paraguay draw or lose to Colombia in the other Group B match, Messi and his teammates will move up to second place. But if Paraguay beat Colombia - who are already guaranteed top spot after two wins - Argentina will have to wait for the results of their other matches to see if they can advance.
Venezuela have two points in Group A, so if they beat bottom-placed Bolivia in their final game, they will secure their place in the next round as either runners-up or one of the two best third-placed teams. That depends on the result of Brazil vs Peru. But Peru have four points and a goal difference of +2, so they are unlikely to go home if they lose by a small margin to the hosts.
In Group C, Japan has one point and a goal difference of -4. The Asian team is at a disadvantage if Argentina wins the final match, because Messi and his teammates have a goal difference of -2. However, Japan only has to face Ecuador - a team that has lost its motivation in the final match. Therefore, Hajime Moriyasu's team can still get a ticket to the quarterfinals if they win big.
If the Qatar-Argentina match ends in a draw, Japan only needs to beat Ecuador by any score to advance. If Argentina beats Qatar but Japan wins Ecuador by a large margin and has a better goal difference, Messi and his teammates will go home.
Muangthong won big
The goalkeeper born in 1993 played with concentration to help Muangthong win 3-0 against the higher rated opponent Trat FC in round 15 of Thai League on the afternoon of June 22.
Taking advantage of the home field, Muangthong poured forward to attack. Opportunities continuously opened up for Adisak Kraisorn but the striker born in 1991 unfortunately missed them.
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| Van Lam and his teammates play confidently. |
After many missed opportunities, Muangthong finally opened the scoring in the 39th minute. Full-back Suphanan made a classy long pass for Gjurovski to break down the left wing. Number 20 crossed for Heberty to finish close to the goal to put the home team ahead.
The stalemate continued for the rest of the first half. The away team Trat FC had to play with 10 men after midfielder Kriangkrai was sent off. The first half ended with the home team Muangthong temporarily in the lead.
Trat FC unexpectedly pushed up their attacking formation in the second half. The away team organized many attacks from both wings but could not overcome the concentration of Dang Van Lam and his teammates.
Muangthong played an active defense and doubled the gap in the 72nd minute. Sanukran controlled the ball calmly and then fired a shot from 16.5m. The ball did not go hard but was dangerous enough to beat the away team's goalkeeper.
The remaining time was not enough for the visitors to turn the game around. In the extra minutes, the home team scored a goal to increase the score to 3-0 after a beautiful curling shot by Aung Thu. Muangthong regained the joy of victory and continued to chase the top teams in the relegation race in this year's Thai League.