Vinícius Junior Scores Twice as Brazil Defeats Paraguay 4-1 in Copa America Group Stage

Vinícius Junior’s two first-half goals propelled Brazil to a decisive 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night, positioning themselves well in Group D of the Copa America.

Brazil dominated the first half with goals from Savinho and another from Lucas Paqueta on a penalty kick in the second half. Paraguay’s only goal came from Omar Alderete.

The match was marked by tension, resulting in five yellow cards and a red card shown to Andres Cubas in the 81st minute, leaving Paraguay to finish the game with ten men. Yellow cards were also issued to Brazil’s Wendell, Junior, and Paqueta, as well as Paraguay’s Fabian Balbuena and Hernesto Caballero.

The victory was a strong response from the Seleção Canarinho following their scoreless draw against Costa Rica earlier in the tournament, despite overwhelming dominance with 18 shots to Costa Rica’s 2.

With four points, Brazil trails group leader Colombia by two points after Colombia’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica earlier in the day. A win or draw against Colombia in their upcoming match will secure Brazil’s spot in the knockout stage. Additionally, Brazil holds a substantial six-goal differential advantage over Costa Rica, making advancement likely even with a loss.

Historically, Brazil has struggled against Paraguay in Copa America matches, with their previous five encounters resulting in draws, marking one of their longest unbeaten streaks against Brazil along with a similar streak from 1963-1983.

However, Brazil’s recent form against Paraguay has been dominant, including a 4-0 victory in World Cup qualifying two years ago. The outcome of this match was effectively decided in the first half with late goals breaking open what had been a contentious contest.

After Bruno Guimaraes struck the crossbar, Savinho extended Brazil’s lead to 2-0 in the 43rd minute. A scuffle ensued in extra time, resulting in yellow cards for Wendell and Balbuena, before Junior delivered the decisive blow five minutes into added time.

Despite being outshot 8-5 (with a 4-3 on-target advantage), Paraguay had its chances, notably thwarted by Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s spectacular save from Damián Bobodilla’s effort early in the match.

Paraguay narrowed the deficit to 3-1 early in the second half through Alderete’s goal, but any hope of a comeback was dashed when Paqueta redeemed himself with a goal, making up for a missed penalty kick in the first half.

Brazil’s coach, Dorival Júnior, made a bold decision by omitting Raphinha from the starting lineup, a move that paid off handsomely with national team legend Neymar observing from the stands.

Raphinha entered as a substitute in the 72nd minute, replacing Savinho, to secure Brazil’s victory.