A fantastic football and some serious referee mistakes have marked Copa América so far. A great derby in Group D between Brazil and Colombia ended in a draw – 1-1 – but the refs stole the show, making two consequential mistakes, one to the detriment of each team. Namely, VAR disallowed a clear goal to the Colombians, while Brazil was deprived of an evident penalty. In the end, this draw favours Colombia, which advance to the quarter-final as a group winner, whereas Brazil will face Uruguay in one of the most historic classics in the world of football.In addition, Seleção boss Dorival Júnior won’t be able to count on Vinícius Júnior, who got his second yellow card in the tournament and will have to watch the game against La Celeste from the stands. Both teams have already secured the knockout phase, but the first spot was at stake, given that facing Uruguay or Panama in the quarter-final is nowhere near the same.An example for all – they are the embodiment of winning mentality and integrityFormer Real Madrid star James Rodríguez was once again the most notable Colombia player, hitting the post already in the 9th minute. However, Brazil struck the first blow and took the lead through Raphinha’s outstanding free kick. When everyone expected an even bigger Seleção offensive, Dorival Júnior’s crew lost control of the game and gave it over to Los Cafeteros.They disallowed the goal using the wrong player as the reference. Davinson was the player involved. They used Córdoba as the reference instead. pic.twitter.com/62oEYInpL2— Juan Arango (@JuanG_Arango) July 3, 2024 The first notable VAR mistake happened in the 22nd minute. Davinson Sánchez scored an equalizer, which was disallowed due to offside, even though the line was drawn in the completely wrong place. That injustice didn’t unhinge the Colombians, who continued attacking and got awarded for a brave performance with Daniel Muñoz’s goal in added time of the first half. Only a few minutes earlier, VAR and the refs embarrassed themselves once more. This time, instead of a penalty after Vinícius went down in the box, they awarded Brazil a corner, although the Colombian defender touched only Real’s winger and not the ball.🚨PENALTY OR NO PENALTY?pic.twitter.com/Y4OeWh0puh— SimplyGoal (@SimplyGoal) July 3, 2024 The second half was way more unattractive, but Rodríguez and Co. were still closer to the victory. In the 68th minute, Jhon Córdoba’s header went over the bar, while Rafael Santos Borré missed a goal-scoring opportunity six minutes before the end. In the other Group D match with no result significance, Costa Rica defeated Paraguay 2-1 and ended third, while Albirroja finished in the ultimate spot without a single point. In the quarter-final, Brazil’s clash with Uruguay will surely be a treat for all the fans, whereas Colombia shouldn’t have many problems dealing with Panama. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8193627##
