Brazil’s Copa America campaign has started slowly, with a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica on Monday night.
Despite controlling 74% of the ball in Los Angeles, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo were unable to lead the nine-time champions to victory in their first game of the tournament.
Instead, a tenacious Costa Rica defense limited them to only three shots on goal in the game, giving the underdogs an invaluable and unexpected point in Group D.
Marquinhos thought he had put Brazil ahead after 33 minutes when he tapped in from close range, but VAR determined that he was in an offside position and ruled the goal out.
Rodrygo also believed he should have received a penalty when he was brought down inside the box in the first half, but the referee dismissed Brazilian protests.
The team known for decades of sublime offensive play came no closer to scoring in front of a lively crowd of 67,158 at SoFi Stadium, dominated by their yellow-clad fans.
Colombia now leads Group D after defeating Paraguay 2-1 earlier in the evening.
Brazil has won the Copa America nine times, but its current transitional squad, led by Real Madrid stars Vinicius and Rodrygo, is off to a poor start.
The draw was a monumental achievement for Costa Rica, the CONCACAF team with the tournament’s youngest roster but a track record of overachieving and strong defense. Los Ticos had lost nine consecutive meetings with Brazil.
Vinicius was knocked down in the box in the 22nd minute by a powerful hit from Haxzel Quiros, but there was no whistle.
In the 30th minute, Rodrygo went low to head Raphinha’s free kick to Marquinhos, who scored at the far post. However, after a four-minute VAR review, Mexican referee Cesar Ramos ultimately agreed with the assistant’s decision to wave it off for offside by a minuscule margin.
Marquinhos saw a goal ruled out for offside 12 minutes before halftime in Los Angeles
Rodrygo also believed he should have received a penalty after being brought down in the box.
In the 39th minute, Lucas Paqueta’s kick appeared to rebound off Juan Pablo Vargas’ hand in the penalty area, but Ramos made no call.
Paqueta’s shot hit the post in the 63rd minute. Costa Rica then escaped when Haxzel Quiros almost headed the ball into his own goal before Sequeira smothered it.
Costa Rica survived a few more moments of chaos, beginning in the 86th minute, when Rodrygo failed to capitalize on two scoring opportunities and did not receive a foul call against Jeyland Mitchell in the box.
Bruno Guimaraes then had a clear shot at goal in the first minute of injury time, but he pushed it just wide.
Brazil’s national team is in a transitional period, especially without Neymar, who hasn’t played since tearing a knee ligament in a match for Brazil in October. Neymar spoke with the team on Sunday before watching the match at SoFi Stadium, where his worried face appeared on the scoreboard in the second half, prompting massive cheers.