Advertisement
Desktop970x250
Advertisement
Desktop970x250

Copa America: Casemiro secures controversial win for Brazil over Colombia

By Enoch Fiifi Forson
SHARE
2 min read
Copa America: Casemiro secures controversial win for Brazil over Colombia

Brazil’s Casemiro (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Colombia during the Conmebol Copa America 2021 football tournament group phase match, at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 23, 2021. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)

Casemiro scored deep into stoppage time to give hosts Brazil a controversial win over Colombia in the Copa America.

An acrobatic volley by Luis Diaz gave Colombia an early lead in their final Group B game in Rio de Janeiro.

Roberto Firmino’s late equaliser was allowed to stand despite the ball hitting the referee moments earlier, sparking lengthy protests by Colombia.

And in the 10th minute of added time, Casemiro headed in from a Neymar corner to maintain Brazil’s 100% record.

Brazil were struggling to draw level when Neymar’s wayward pass forward struck Nestor Pitana, who took charge of the 2018 World Cup final.

The Argentine referee put his whistle to his mouth but allowed play to continue once Lucas Paqueta had played the ball wide to Renan Lodi, whose first-time cross was headed in by Liverpool forward Firmino.

There was a lengthy stoppage as Colombia players remonstrated with Pitana, before and after the video assistant referee let the goal stand.

The rules state that if the ball touches the referee and goes directly into the goal, results in a change of possession or a promising attack, a dropped ball should be awarded.

Neymar’s pass would have been intercepted by a Colombia player had it not struck the referee, yet six seconds later the ball was in their goal.

“It’s sad that with all the effort we made against one of the best teams in the world, we lost the match on a call like that,” said Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado, who crossed for Diaz’s stunning opener.

“A referee with that much international experience, who’s refereed at the World Cup, makes a mistake and hurts the match. We never got past that play.”

Despite the defeat, Colombia will still progress into the quarter-finals along with Brazil, who stretched their winning run to 10 games and have already qualified as group winners.

The hosts play their final group game against Ecuador in Goiania on Sunday. 

Source: BBC

Sign up to The Daily Briefing

Stay informed with the most relevant stories shaping Ghana and the world, every morning and evening.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Share This Article

Enoch Fiifi Forson is a sports editor with digital media team at Media General, operators of TV3 Ghana, 3News.com and more. Email: Enoch.Forson@mediageneralgh.com

Advertisement
Desktop300x250

Up Next

Advertisement
Desktop970x250