Copa America 2021: The Wednesday Recap
- by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Jun 24, 2021
Highlights
Wednesday, June 23
Ecuador 2 Peru 2 (Goals: Tapia own goal 23, Preciado 45+3; Lapadula 49, Carrillo 54)
Wednesday, June 23
Brazil 2 Colombia 1 (Goals: Firmino 78, Casemiro 90+10; Diaz 10)
Numbers
10. Brazil has now won 10 straight games -- three so far at this Copa America, six World Cup qualifiers, and one friendly -- since a November 2019 1-0 friendly loss to Argentina. Luis Diaz's goal on Wednesday was the first it conceded in those 10 wins.
Spotlight
Colombia, which took an early thanks to an amazing overhead volley by Diaz, initially refused to kick off while mobbing Argentine referee Nestor Pitana after Roberto Firmino's 78th minute equalizer. In the buildup, a Neymar pass bounced off Pitana and back to Lucas Paqueta, who found Renan Lodi on the wing, from where Lodi's cross set up Firmino's header into the net.
The rules state that when the ball touches an official and remains on the field, play continues unless:
• a team starts a promising attack or
• the ball goes directly into the goal or
• the team in possession of the ball changes
Another look at that build up before Brazil's game-tying goal pic.twitter.com/aRHQAlPjXW
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 24, 2021
Ten minutes into stoppage time, Casemiro headed home a Neymar corner kick.
Both Brazil and Colombia have already clinched spots in the quarterfinals, to which four teams from each of the five-team groups advance.
Schedule
Thursday, June 24
5 pm ET -- Group A Bolivia-Uruguay FS1, TUDN, UNIMAS
8 pm ET -- Group A Chile-Paraguay FS1, TUDN, Univision
