Brazil’s draw against Colombia puts them in front of a difficult test

Brazil settled for a 1-1 draw with Colombia in the final round of the group stage of the Copa America Football Championship. As a result, they now have to face the formidable Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

Brazil, which opened the tournament with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Costa Rica, then compensated by achieving a major victory over Paraguay 4-1, needed to win three points to overcome Colombia and top Group D.

However, Raphinha’s opening goal from a wonderful free kick (12) was not enough, given Daniel Muñoz’s equalizer before half-time (45+2).

Colombia raised their score to seven points to meet Panama in the quarter-finals, while Brazil came second with five points, setting up a fiery confrontation with Uruguay, which holds a record of winning the title 15 times, equal with Argentina.

The Seleção’s goal scorer, Raphinha, said: “Their team is more harmonious. They have been playing with each other for some time, and their coach took over his position a while before our coach.”

The Barcelona player confirmed that the nine-time champions and runners-up in the last edition, which was held in Brazil, would not be afraid to face Uruguay. “Our team is developing and on the right track. Unfortunately, it was not the position we wanted, but whoever wants to win the title must win against all the teams.”

Uruguay, led by the outstanding Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, achieved three victories in the first round over Panama, the United States, and Bolivia. They will face the five-time world champions, who will be missing their attacking star Vinicius Junior in the quarter-finals after he received his second yellow card of the tournament in the seventh minute for a reckless foul on James Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, the team of Argentine coach Nestor Lorenzo (Colombia) extended their remarkable unbeaten streak to 26 matches since their defeat to Argentina in February 2022. Colombia had previously defeated Brazil 2-1 with two goals from Luis Díaz in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where Brazil currently sits in a disappointing sixth place after three consecutive losses.

Costa Rica’s 2-1 victory over Paraguay was not enough to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, as they trailed Brazil by one point.

Costa Rica took an early lead with goals from Francisco Calvo (3) and Josemar Alcocer (7) against Paraguay in Austin, but Ramon Sosa reduced the deficit early in the second half (55). Both teams were eliminated from the tournament together.

With the end of the group stage, the quarter-final matchups are set: world champion and defending champion Argentina will face Ecuador on Thursday in Houston, Venezuela will play against Canada on Friday in Arlington, Colombia will take on Panama on Saturday in Glendale, and Uruguay will battle Brazil on Saturday in Las Vegas.