After drawing 1-1 with Ecuador in Goiania on Sunday, Brazil did not win for a first time in 11 games, but still qualified for the quarter-finals in the B group.
Brazil has won for the first time since it lost 1:0 for Argentina in a friendly round in November 2019, at an empty stadium in central Brazil.
The host nation had qualified in Group B already, and had several regulars, among those who received a chance from the beginning were Gabriel Barbosa, Everton, Douglas Luiz, Fabinho and Douglas Luis.
Lucas Paqueta was a bright team member who failed Neymar’s creativity, but many of the alternatives were not impressive even if Brazil had a completed header by defender Eder Militao in 1-0 at half the time.
Brazil won three first group games but was surprisingly stuck back for the first 15 minutes of the second period and replaced by a 53-minute drive by Angel Mena, who was on an equal footing for Ecuador.
After an hour, Brazil recovered its balance, only when Casemiro replaced Douglas Luiz.
Nonetheless, neither team created many clear-cut chances, and because a draw suited both teams, the game slowed slightly. Peru joined Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador in the quarter-finals after defeating Venezuela 1-0 in the other Group B game.
The Venezuelans were dealt a blow early in the tournament when at least eight players tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to self-isolate.
After the final round of Group A matches on Monday, the quarter-final matchups will be determined.
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have already qualified for the final eight. Bolivia has already been eliminated, having lost all three of their games thus far.
