SANTA CLARA, July 2 (Xinhua) — Daniel Munoz canceled out an early Raphinha strike as Colombia and Brazil drew 1-1 in their final Copa America group stage match here on Tuesday.

Raphinha put Brazil ahead with a sumptuous free-kick before Munoz slotted home from close range on the stroke of halftime.

The result ensured Colombia finished top of Group D with seven points from three games, two points ahead of second-placed Brazil.

Both teams will play their quarterfinal matches on Saturday, with the Cafeteros facing Panama in Phoenix and Brazil confronting Uruguay in Las Vegas.

“We had our chances to win, and it’s disappointing that we didn’t, but even so, it’s mission accomplished so far,” Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez said. “We have big plans, and we’re not going to be satisfied just by reaching this stage. We want more.”

The result ended Colombia’s winning streak that had extended to 10 matches. But the Cafeteros remain unbeaten in their last 26 outings dating back to early 2022.

Brazil, meanwhile, looked far from the well-oiled machine that football fans are accustomed to.

Raphinha admitted the five-time world champions are still a work in progress under manager Dorival Junior, who took charge in January following a disastrous run of results last year.

“We are still finding our way but I’m sure we are going to click soon,” the Barcelona winger said.

“To win major tournaments, you have to overcome tough challenges like tonight. We couldn’t get the win but we had our chances. We did what was required to progress and now we have to be prepared for what’s coming.”

It took just 12 minutes for Brazil to take the lead at Levi’s Stadium as Raphinha curled a 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner.

Colombia appeared to equalize shortly after when Sanchez headed in after James Rodriguez’s inch-perfect free-kick. But the goal was ruled out for offside after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR).

The game was played at a frenetic pace with both sides attacking relentlessly. Vinicius Junior went down in the area after a clumsy challenge from Daniel Munoz, but referee Jesus Valenzuela said there was no penalty after another VAR review.

Munoz was proving a thorn in Brazil’s side and he put his side on level terms in the 47th minute when he latched onto Jhon Cordoba’s pass and fired a first-time effort past goalkeeper Alisson.

Colombia continued dictating terms after halftime and Brazil were fortunate that attempts from Cordoba and Jorge Carrascal were directed straight at Alisson.

Rafael Borre, a 76th-minute substitute for Jhon Cordoba, should have given Colombia the lead but could only manage to hammer his attempt over the bar from point-blank range with Alisson nowhere in sight.

Brazil also narrowly missed a chance to go ahead when Andreas Pereira’s long-range effort was tipped over by Vargas in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Source(s): Xinhua

BERLIN, July 2 (Xinhua) — Merih Demiral’s double strike was enough for Türkiye to eliminate stubborn Austria 2-1 in a Euro 2024 round of 16 match at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena on Tuesday.

The Turks had a fairy tale start to the clash, scoring the fastest goal in the knockout stages of the Euro tournament as Austria couldn’t clear the ball following a corner, allowing Demiral to tap home the opener just 57 seconds into the game.

Austria responded with furious attacks, but Christoph Baumgartner missed two chances to restore parity. The Austrians struggled to create more chances against Türkiye’s well-organized defense and failed to produce clear-cut opportunities before the break. Meanwhile, Vincenzo Montella’s side remained dangerous, with Demiral heading over the target following another corner kick.

After the restart, Austria came out with momentum and kept Türkiye’s defense busy. However, Marco Arnautovic couldn’t beat goalkeeper Mert Gunok, and Konrad Laimer pulled wide from a promising position moments later.

Despite Austria’s pressure, it was Montella’s side that scored against the flow of the game. Demiral nodded home his second goal from a corner, making it two for Türkiye.

Austria managed to answer and halve the deficit through substitute Michael Gregoritsch, who sparked hopes after drilling a flicked-on corner into the roof of the net with plenty of time left to play.

Austria went in search of the equalizer, throwing every man forward, while Türkiye kept all their men behind the ball, waiting for counterattack opportunities. Baris Yilmaz had the golden chance to finish off one of those counterattacks but missed the target from inside the box with only goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to beat.

Rangnick’s side nearly restored parity in the dying seconds of the match, but Gunok denied Baumgartner’s close-range header with a one-handed parry on the goal line.

With this result, Türkiye advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008, where they will face the Netherlands at Berlin’s Olympia Stadium on Saturday.

“We didn’t have the necessary luck, and I believe if the game had gone to extra time, we would have won. We had time to score an equalizer. We didn’t make enough of our own chances, and we didn’t defend their set pieces well enough,” said Austria coach Rangnick.

Source(s): Xinhua

BERLIN, July 1 (Xinhua) — Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa denied three penalties in the shootout to eliminate a stubborn Slovenia 3-0 in their Euro 2024 last 16 match at Frankfurt’s Deutsche-Bank-Park on Monday.

Portugal dominated possession from the kickoff, pressing Slovenia onto the back foot in the opening stages.

However, Robert Martinez’s men struggled to convert their dominance into goals, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes both missing close-range opportunities.

Slovenia defended resolutely, keeping all their players behind the ball. Ronaldo had a chance from a promising free-kick position at the half-hour mark but sent it over the target.

In the closing stages of the first half, Slovenia could have caught Portugal flatfooted, but Petar Stojanovic opted for a square pass instead of taking a shot on goal.

Portugal continued to be the more active team after the restart, while Slovenia remained largely passive.

Slovenia’s goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, frustrated Ronaldo by neutralizing a free kick in the 55th minute and a dangerous long-range shot in the closing period.

In extra time, Ronaldo had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock when Diogo was fouled inside the box. However, he couldn’t beat Oblak from the penalty spot in the 105th minute.

Slovenia showed signs of life in the 115th minute but missed a crucial chance when Benjamin Sesko failed to beat Diogo Costa in a one-on-one situation.

After a goalless draw, the match went to a penalty shootout. Ronaldo finally beat Oblak from the spot to open the scoring.

Goalkeeper Diogo Costa then single-handedly helped Portugal progress by denying penalties from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic. Bernardo Silva sealed the victory with his successful penalty.

With this result, Portugal will face France in the quarterfinals at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.

“I was sad and then happy. It went back and forth, but that’s football. It is all or nothing. I tried to clinch the win for my team, but I failed to do so. I was unhappy, nonetheless, Oblak saved well today. We had to work hard, but we are through now. I think it is a deserved win as Slovenia defended only,” said Ronaldo.

Source(s): Xinhua