Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa América, losing to Uruguay in the penalty shootout. However, before the kicks, a fact caught attention.
The coach of the Brazilian National Team, Dorival Júnior, did not join the circle of players before the kicks.
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Elimination
- Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa América;
- With the draw in regular time, the decision of the spot went to penalties;
- The Uruguayans got the better of the Brazilians, 4-2.
Sidelined…
According to the coach, he did not participate in the circle because he was talking individually with the players. After defining the five kickers, Dorival focused on penalty training.
“I stayed out because I was talking to each of them about what was on my mind. After defining the first five positions, we discussed the training we had done. Since the first day in Orlando, we have worked on penalties because we knew we would probably face this situation in decisive matches,” explained Dorival Júnior, after Brazil’s defeat to Uruguay.
Substitution
Rodrygo, one of the main players of the Brazilian National Team, had to leave the field in the second half due to a violent tackle by Nández, who was sent off.
“Rodrygo, unfortunately, after the foul that resulted in the red card, could not continue on the field and had to be substituted at a certain point. He was one of the kickers. However, the players who came in were well trained and prepared to help. It’s natural that someone ends up missing a kick, which determines the winner. Unfortunately, we were eliminated,” Dorival concluded.
Danilo and Alisson downplay the situation with Dorival
The captain of the Brazilian National Team, Danilo, explained how the moment of choosing the kickers was and expressed his opinion on Dorival’s absence from the players’ circle before the penalty kicks.
Alisson was another Brazil player to comment on the coach not having participated in the players’ circle before the penalty kicks.
