Paraguay-Brazil: the curious case of penalty shootouts

l Their last three encounters in the CONMEBOL Copa América™ were in the quarterfinals and ended in penalty shootouts.

l They share Group D and will face each other in the second match.

 

Brazil and Paraguay are two teams with a lot of history in the CONMEBOL Copa América™ and have indeed played finals against each other in the tournament. Their recent history marked three exciting matches that were decided from the penalty spot.

 

In the CONMEBOL Copa América 2011™, held in Argentina, they played in the quarterfinals after sharing a group (where they drew 2-2). The match, played at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, ended 0-0, and in the penalty shootout, the Albirrojo team prevailed 2-0 with goals from Estigarribia and Riveros. Justo Villar was the goalkeeper for the team led by Gerardo Martino, which would eventually reach the final of that edition.

 

Four years later, in Chile 2015, history once again found Brazil and Paraguay in the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Copa América™. At the Estadio Municipal de Concepción, Robinho and Derlis González scored the goals to end the match 1-1 in regulation time. Penalties again determined the team that would advance to the semifinals: Albirroja won 4-3, with Derlis González scoring the decisive penalty. Once again, Justo Villar defended the goal of a team that, in that tournament, was led by Ramón Díaz.

The last encounter between these two continental champions in a CONMEBOL Copa América™ was in Brazil 2019. The match was played at the Arena do Grêmio, ended 0-0, and the Seleção could celebrate their victory from the penalty spot: Gabriel Jesus scored the decisive 4-3 to advance to the next round. Alisson Becker was the goalkeeper for that team led by Tite, which would eventually win the tournament.

 

On June 28, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (Nevada) with a capacity for 65,500 people, Brazil and Paraguay will play for the second match of Group D. A promise of a great match for which tickets can still be obtained.