The dramatic 2019 Copa America that was held in Brazil has finally come to an end , and as usual, only one winner emerged. Many would have expected the "Samba boys" of Brazil to have a rollercoaster ride over Peru, considering the 5-0 drilling Peru suffered in the hands of the host at group stages.
However, Brazil's co-finalists have improved since then and have been the reason teams like Uruguay and defending Champions Chile were sent packing from the tournament. It's always very interesting to see underdogs ruffle few feathers in a competition like this.
No one gave them a chance in the tournament, but instead of seeing their perceived football status as discouraging factor, they transformed it into a fuel of motivation to surprisingly power their Copa Engine to the final of the Competition.
Sending a team like Uruguay home in the quarter final stage without hitting a shot on target is something anybody should worry about. Playing against these big guys, they fashioned a way to pull through and frustrate their opponents tactics.
Against Uruguay, they threw their energy into defending the balls, having known how deadly the Uruguayan are upfront. With Suarez, Edinson Cavani being a great threat. With the match going into extra time and then penalty shootouts, Peru emerged from the flames and progressed to meet Chile in the next round, while Luis Suarez and his side were left begging for tears.
Against Chile in the Semi final, they knew when to go all out to attack and also defend as a unit. Their defending tactics gave Chile more than they bargained, as Peru ended the game with a shocking 3-0 win over the defending champions. It was a signal that the final won't be a walk in the park for Brazil, and any room for complacency could make them pay.
It took a Gabriel Jesus awesome moves from the wing to set up Brazil's opener, therefore putting the Five times World Cup winners on the track to win a major honour after 12 years. Everton scored to give the host the needed 1-0 lead, but parity was restored when Peru got an equaliser through a penalty at the 44th minute, thanks to Paulo Guerrero.
That equaliser brought back the needed tension of a final, and many thought Peru were on another mission to cause an upset. Tite appeared a little more worried after Peru restored parity in the goal tally, considering Peru's previous outings. However, nerves were calmed as Gabriel Jesus who played a part in Brazil's first goal scored to put the host back in a 2-1 advantage before the halftime break.
It would have been an awesome final for Gabriel Jesus, but the Manchester City was sent off after a clumsy aerial encounter with Carlos Zambrano got him a second yellow card. Not a final he would love to remember if Brazil went on to lose, as he left in tears, but without showing his disgust buy punching the hell out of the VAR screen. With ten men on the pitch, tension found its way back into the game, as Brazilian fans became a bit more restless from their countenance.
It took a final minute penalty goal by Richarlison to put the game beyond the reach of Peru, and of course, hand the trophy to Brazil. The duel ended 3-1in favour of the Selecao. Brazil have now won the tournament on each of the five occasions they've hosted it, and this makes the tournament appear suspicious to many sports analysts. Also, Gabriel Jesus didn't finish without going into the history books. He is the first player to score in a Copa final and also earn a red card. Congrats Brazil!
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