Brazil played out an action-packed 1-1 draw with Colombia in Santa Clara, California on Tuesday to qualify for the Copa América quarterfinals.
Colombia, who finished top of Group D on seven points, face Panama in the quarters while second-placed Brazil take on Group C winners Uruguay.
A frantic first 15 minutes at Levi’s Stadium saw Colombia go within inches of scoring after James Rodriguez hit the crossbar, before Raphinha whipped a sublime free kick into the top corner to give Brazil the lead in the 12th minute.
Colombia had a Davinson Sanchez goal disallowed for offside before striker Jhon Cordoba‘s brilliant through ball was rifled into the net by Daniel Munoz to level the scores in first-half stoppage time.
Despite the searing California heat neither side let the intensity drop after the break. Raphinha fired a free kick just wide and Andreas Pereira tested Camilo Vargas with a long-range effort but Colombia held on for the draw and stretched their unbeaten run to 26 matches.
Vinicius Junior was kept mostly quiet during the match, but he did pick a yellow card in the 7th minute that will see him miss the quarterfinal match with Uruguay due to accumulation.
Players put on an entertaining show in the Group D finale, with Brazil’s Bruno Guimarães calling Colombia “a stone in our shoe” in the lead up to Tuesday.
What was expected to be a tense, physical, foul-filled match more than lived up to that hype featuring five yellow cards as a sea of jerseys the same color representing both countries packed the seats — once the fans finally got inside, that is. Some scanning equipment became very hot and slowed down the process.
The Bay Area is facing an excessive heat warning and the temperature at kickoff was 98 degrees — though about half the field on one sideline was shaded.
Brazil, a team so accustomed to chasing championships in this event, faces a tougher road without a win against Colombia.
The Seleção have captured Copa titles nine times and were runner-up in the 2021 tournament.
Colombia already had secured their spot in the quarterfinal round and have a 26-match unbeaten streak — including a 5-1 victory against the U.S. in a pre-tournament friendly, while Brazil then settled for a 1-1 draw with the Americans four days later in another tuneup.
Colombia beat Brazil 2-1 last year in the South American World Cup qualifiers and their first meeting since three matchups in 2021, when Brazil topped Colombia 2-1 in the Copa América.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
