The last shreds of the Brazil of old was extinguished as the 5-time World Champions were dumped out of the Copa America by Uruguay on penalties after a dire display of tournament football, something that has been the case for most of this summer with both the Copa and the Euros struggling to produce spellbinding contests. After a 0-0 tie in regulation time the Selecao, bereft of the attacking talents of Vinicius Junior and Neymar, only had 3 shots on target in a match that consisted of 41 fouls shared between the two sides. This is a far cry from what we expect from a team like Brazil who in years gone by have always looked pleasing to the eye, even in defeat.
On the night against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, they looked abysmal, trying to and failing to produce the magic with which their previous generation had enthralled fans with. The creative malaise in the team was laid bare after the match when it was revealed that Endrick, the latest Brazil wonderkid to have signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid, had completed just one successful pass in the full 90 minutes, according to Opta. The only pass that he made which was not intercepted by the opponents was at the kick off.
That’s a damning stat for a player who was hyped to the moon when he scored in successive matches against England and Spain back in March, all before turning 18, something that only the legendary Pele had done before him. Endrick played the full 90 minutes and completed one pass. Can you guess which one it.
