It was a frustrating 90 minutes for the Brazilians as they were held scoreless in their opening group match against Costa Rica. Chances were few and far between as they logged 19 shots on the night with only three finding the target. Costa Rica were very limited with their 5-3-2 structure and tireless defending in and around the box. Ultimately, the referee was the one in the spotlight after the final whistle of the 0-0 draw.
The first half was as expected with Brazil probing and searching for a way to breach the Costa Rican back line. The big names for Brazil were involved with everything they created. In the 22nd minute, Lucas Paquetá played Vinicius Jr in behind and he was met by the oncoming Haxzel Quiros. The referee alleged the contact was fair, but many questions were asked about a penalty.
The most notable moment of the game came half an hour into the contest. Vinicius Jr earned his side a wide free kick. Raphinha served it in and Rodrygo’s attempted flick-on came off his shoulder before landing in the path of Marquinhos on the far post. He pushed the ball over the line and took off in celebration, only for VAR to intervene for a questionable offside.
A third question was asked of the referee before the break. Paquetá dribbled past Costa Rica captain Francisco Calvo before crossing into the area. The ball struck the arm of Juan Pablo Vargas, but the decision was made that it was in a natural position and no penalty was awarded.
The second half played out very similarly to the first, with Brazil largely in control and without many clear chances to capitalize on. Paquetá tried to break the deadlock in the 63rd minute with a long-range effort that beat Patrick Sequeira, but it cannoned off the post and was cleared.
Endryck and Savio were introduced after 70 minutes to replace Vinicius Jr and Raphinha. Savio looked bright off the right side as he was consistently looking to beat his defender and create. His best moment was their best chance of the game and it came in the 91st minute. He drew the attention of the Costa Rican defenders as he cut inside onto his left and teed up Bruno Guimarães. The Newcastle man took his effort first-time but fired it just over the bar.
Sequeira put in a man-of-the-match performance in goal with four saves as he led his team to a well-earned point. Costa Rica will take on Colombia on Friday before Brazil plays Paraguay.
-Dre Fortune