Back to the Southampton Newsfeed

Copa América exit adds to Brazil's burden of history

Related Topics: Copa América, Brazil

It would probably have been better to scrap Saturday's Copa América quarterfinal between Brazil and Uruguay and skip straight to the penalty shootout.

There was barely an outbreak of football between the two teams in Las Vegas, as a much-anticipated clash was punctuated by fouls and misplaced passes. In some part, this is a product of the pitches being used at this Copa, which are considerably smaller than usual -- a subject which has worried Brazil all through the competition. The smaller the pitch, the greater the chance of friction.

More than anything else, though, Brazil exit the competition as victims of their own excesses of nerves.