Goals: Brazil—Neymar 83’
Recap: Ninety minutes of hard-fought football saw Brazil capture a 1-0 victory over Colombia on Friday.
The two teams met in Miami just weeks after battling it out in the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals. The chippiness continued despite a change in venue. The result, however, did not. Neither side proved to be threatening inside the area, but it was a late set-piece goal from Neymar that decided the match in the dying minutes.
Much like the World Cup, Colombia left the pitch feeling hard done by the officials.
Key Moment: An official should never go out of his way to determine the outcome of an international friendly, but that’s exactly what happened in the 50th minute. Carrying a yellow, Juan Cuadrado engaged with Neymar in a 50-50 challenge. In typical fashion, the Brazilian fell to the ground as if struck by the heavens. The match official responded by showing a second yellow, sending off Cuadrado. The complexity of the contest changed. Colombia’s attack, which looked more threatening as time progressed, dissipated from there.
Man of the Match: He forced the sending off and he decided the match with a masterclass from a dead-ball situation. The award belongs to Neymar.
Lesson Learned: Absolutely nothing was on the line at Sun Life Stadium on Friday. Just don’t tell that to Colombia and Brazil. No cup nor trophy was to be had by the final whistle, but pride was. Both sides played an aggressive, up-tempo style throughout the match. The intention: Show the world who is the prominent force in South America. In total, 32 fouls were committed. Six yellow cards were shown. There are no friendlies in CONMEBOL.
Up Next: Brazil travels to MetLife Stadium to face Ecuador on Sept. 9, while Colombia eventually travels to Ecuador to participate in another friendly on Oct. 8.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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