After Brazil’s early exit from the Copa America, 18-year-old striker Endrick (Real Madrid) has been criticized by fans for being the reason for the team’s demise.
“Some Brazilian fans have criticized Endrick’s performance after Brazil was eliminated from the Copa America,” global media outlet Tribuna reported on July 7 (KST).
Brazil lost 2-4 on penalties to Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 on Sunday at the Elite Stadium in Las Vegas, USA.
Brazil struggled against South American powerhouse Uruguay in the quarterfinals of their first match of the tournament. The game was played in a heated atmosphere, with 18 fouls called in the first 45 minutes, and Brazil gained the numerical advantage in the 29th minute when Uruguayan fullback Nathan Nandes was sent off for a direct challenge.
Nandes made a sliding tackle to stop the Brazilian forward from breaking through, and his tackle struck Hodriguez on the ankle, prompting the video assistant referee (VAR) to show a red card and order Nandes to leave the field.
With not much time left on the clock, but with their numerical advantage, a goal was expected soon, but Brazil were unable to find the back of the net and the game ended 0-0. After 90 minutes of scoreless play, Brazil and Uruguay headed into penalty kicks to determine who would advance to the quarterfinals.
One of the unique features of this Copa America tournament is that there is no overtime. In this year’s tournament, if the third- and fourth-place games are not settled in regulation time, they will go straight to penalty kicks, with no overtime.
The penalty shootout started with Uruguay. While Uruguay kicker Federico Valverde nailed a clean kick to set the tone, Brazil’s first kick was ominous as it was missed. Brazil’s No. 1 kicker, Éder Militão, attempted a shot toward the right corner, but the direction of the shot was read by goalkeeper Sergio Rochette.
With Uruguay leading 1-0, both teams’ No. 2 kickers, Rodrigo Bentancur and Andreas Pereira, converted their kicks. Uruguay’s No. 3 kicker, Jorgejuan Dearascaeta, then found the back of the net to give Uruguay a 3-1 lead.
The kickers would need to continue their success to improve their chances of victory, but Brazil’s elimination seemed imminent when No. 3 kicker 토토 먹튀검증 Douglas Luiz also missed. Luiz aimed for the left corner, but his shot hit the post.
After Uruguay’s No. 4 kicker Jose Jimenez missed, Brazil’s No. 4 kicker Gabriel Martinelli converted a kick to give Brazil hope, but Uruguay’s No. 5 kicker Manuel Ugarte found the back of the net and Brazil lost the penalty shootout 2-4, handing Uruguay a spot in the semifinals.
For Brazil, ranked No. 4 in the FIFA rankings and one of the favorites to win the tournament, a Copa America quarterfinal exit is hard to swallow. After all, the team had to face harsh criticism from Brazil’s soccer-crazed fans.
Endrick, who started up front, was particularly criticized by fans. The young forward, born in 2006, took over the No. 9 role after Vinicius Junior was suspended for the Uruguay match due to accumulating cautions.
He is considered the future of Brazil’s forward line. He is joining Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid this summer after a stellar youth career in which he scored 170 goals in 172 games.
A standout at a young age, Endrique became the fourth-youngest player in Brazil’s history (17 years, 118 days) to make his international debut against Colombia in November last year during an A-match. He followed that up with his A-match debut in a friendly against England in March, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory.
After showing great promise and making the final Copa America roster for his first ever continental tournament, Endrique was limited to substitute appearances in the first three group games of the tournament before earning his first start against Uruguay.
However, Endrick did not live up to expectations. According to soccer stats site Sofascore, he only touched the ball 23 times in 90 minutes of full-time play and had just one shot on goal. He also attempted five passes, including one long pass, and completed only two.
Brazilian fans took to social media to criticize Endrick’s poor performance, according to Tribuna.
“Endrick’s decisions were terrible. Hodriguez sent one Uruguayan player off, but the coach didn’t know what to do with him,” and “He only completed one pass in the whole game, should we feel sorry for him, do you know how difficult it is to complete one pass in 95 minutes?”
Some were harsh on the young player, who is still in his teens, saying, “He was the worst player on the field today” and “He’s the worst number 9 I’ve ever seen in Brazil.”