Brazil 0-0 Costa Rica: Takeaways from a frustrating opener for Brazil

With Neymar in the stands, Brazil failed to score against Costa Rica in their Copa America Group D opener on Monday night, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Although Brazil had the vast majority of possession, Costa Rica’s deep defending worked to plan against their superior opponents.

Brazil faced further frustration with a number of questionable calls from the officials early on, including a Marquinhos goal that was ruled offside in the 30th minute by the video assistant referee.

It was an inconspicuous start for Brazil at LA’s SoFi Stadium, as they called on 17-year-old Endrick to replace Vinicius Junior in the 71st minute in an attempt to find a spark.

The Athletic’s Jack Lang, Stuart James and Thom Harris share their takeaways from the match…

Is deep defending the way to stop Brazil?

For all their domination of possession, it was telling that two of Brazil’s most promising attacking situations came after vanishingly rare Costa Rica attacks in the first half. In an ideal world, this is how the Selecao would like to play: on the counter-attack, harnessing the directness of Vinicius Jr, plus Lucas Paqueta’s ability to pick a pass. It’s how they played against England and Spain in March, which allowed Dorival Junior to get off to a promising start as coach.

The issue is that most sides won’t attack Brazil with numbers and conviction. As a result, the pitch becomes small, the players crowded together, pace a non-factor. This is all very well if you’re Manchester City, with time to work on passing patterns. It’s much more difficult at international level, and doubly hard when your coach has only been in charge for four games.

Brazil have players capable of picking the lock. Paqueta is a genius in tight spaces, and Rodrygo doesn’t lag far behind. Often, though, it’s a question of patience, which is never in plentiful supply when it comes to the Selecao. The longer the game remained goalless, the quieter the crowd grew and the more tension bled onto the pitch.

If you were being generous, you could say that Brazil created enough openings to win the game a couple of times over. But they were mainly half-chances and they will know that the other teams in the group will set up the same way after such an unexpected result.

Can Brazil feel aggrieved at the referee?

Brazil players argue with the referee at SoFi Stadium. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Frustrations can spill over when you face a defensive block like that; Brazil racked up 48 touches in the box throughout a fruitless 90 minutes, while their opponents Costa Rica sat deep and soaked up the pressure, and could only muster two.

As the time ticked on and the tackles got tougher, things started to get tetchy. Mexican referee Cesar Ramos let plenty of big challenges go, including a clumsy collision between full-back Haxzel Quiros and Vinicius Jr midway through the first half, the defender charging across the tricky winger and making strong contact in the penalty area. Teammates incredulous, it set the tone for a hot-headed contest.

A disallowed goal did little to improve the Brazilian mood; a marginal offside and a lengthy VAR review keeping an increasingly agitated group waiting, while a penalty claim late in the first half sparked outrage from most of the team, remonstrating with the referee for almost two minutes before the resulting corner was eventually taken. In all honesty, it looked as if Juan Pablo Vargas’s arm was tucked safely by his side.

On another day, Rodrygo rolls home a first-half penalty and Brazil stroll to a routine win. But Dorival Junior’s side will have another block to break down against Paraguay on Friday, on an even hotter day; they will need to keep their emotions in check.

What can Costa Rica take from this result?

Costa Rica players kneel down on the pitch after earning the draw. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Pretty? No. Effective? Damn right.

For Gustavo Alfaro, Costa Rica’s vastly experienced coach, this was one of those rare nights when everything went to plan tactically. Sure, Costa Rica rode their luck at times – Brazil hit the woodwork, squandered numerous chances and will feel aggrieved that they were denied a first-half penalty. But Alfaro’s team played with courage and spirit, defended for their lives, and showed incredible reliance.

Juan Pablo Vargas expertly marshalled a three-man central defence that came under siege, and behind him Patrick Sequeira made some crucial saves, including one from his own player: Haxzel Quiros wore the expression of a hugely relieved man after his header at the far post was repelled late on. Who needs Keylor Navas, eh?

It was a remarkable result in the circumstances, bearing in mind there were genuine concerns beforehand about whether Costa Rica might be blown away by Brazil. This, after all, is a team that has leaked goals at an alarming rate over the last year. Panama put three past them twice, and the United Arab Emirates and Martinique both scored four. Brazil? Zero.

What did the managers say?

Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro: “I think there was a good job done by the defenders and the midfield to limit the chances that Brazil did have… We were Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. Everyone thought we were dead before the movie started.”

Brazil head coach Dorival Junior: “Today we did not not achieve our expected outcomes. They were very clear on their game plan. Even with all the substitutions and alternatives we used, they were heavy on the marking – the double marking was happening everywhere on the pitch. We created many opportunities. Maybe we were not the best in our finishing but Brazil played as it trained, recovering balls with great consistency. But we missed that important detail.”

What’s next for each team?

Paraguay vs. Brazil — Friday, June 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/Saturday, June 29 at 2:00 a.m. UK (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV)

Colombia vs. Costa Rica — Friday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. ET/11:00 p.m. UK (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)

Required reading

(Top photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)