Copa America Results 2016: Group Results, Standings and Tables After Wednesday

Plenty was at stake during Wednesday's action at the 2016 Copa America, as Group B assumed the spotlight with critical points up for grabs.  

World power Brazil squared off with Haiti in the first game in Orlando, Florida, while group-leading Peru faced Ecuador in the nightcap in Glendale, Arizona. Wednesday marked the second game for each Group B team, and they were all chasing Peru after one.

Peru had three points entering play after its tournament-opening victory over Haiti, while Brazil and Ecuador each had a single point following their draw. Haiti was looking for its first point of the Copa America when it took the field Wednesday.

With that in mind, here is a look at Wednesday's results, as well as the updated table standings for the entire tournament:

Wednesday, June 8	Location	Group	Score
Brazil vs. Haiti	Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.	B	7-1, Brazil
Ecuador vs. Peru	University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.	B	2-2 Draw

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Colombia (6 Points)	Brazil (4 Points)	Mexico (3 Points)	Argentina (3 Points)
United States (3 Points)	Peru (4 Points)	Venezuela (3 Points)	Panama (3 Points)
Paraguay (1 Point)	Ecuador (2 Points)	Jamaica (0 Points)	Chile (0 Points)
Costa Rica (1 Point)	Haiti (0 Points)	Uruguay (0 Points)	Bolivia (0 Points)

 A full schedule is available on the tournament's official website.

Brazil def. Haiti 7-1 

Brazil came away with a draw in its first game, but it left zero doubt regarding who was the better team on the field during Wednesday's 7-1 victory over Haiti. The Brazilians jumped out to a 3-0 lead by halftime and extended it to 5-0 at the 67th minute before Haiti finally notched a goal of its own. 

Philippe Coutinho tallied a hat trick, while Renato Augusto scored twice. Gabriel and Lucas Lima also notched goals on the Brazilian side. James Marcelin scored Haiti's only goal.

Brazil wasted little time in establishing an early lead against the overmatched Haitian side. Coutinho received the ball with plenty of space ahead of him as he turned toward goal. He dribbled it up the field and fired a shot with his right foot from outside the box for the game's first breakthrough, via Univision Deportes:

The individual effort at the 14th minute could only be described as "magical:"

Following the initial goal, Brazil dictated the pace and didn't allow Haiti to build anything resembling a dangerous push forward. The Brazilian defense was too potent for the opposition to counter the first strike, and things continued to go downhill for Haiti when it allowed a second goal in the first half.

Coutinho gave his side a 2-0 advantage at the 29th minute when he tapped in an open look inside the box off Jonas' perfectly placed assist. Univision Deportes shared the impressive teamwork:

The rout continued in the 35th minute when Augusto showed brilliant form with a header into the top corner to give Brazil a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. The game was essentially over, as Haiti couldn't match Brazil's overwhelming talent advantage all across the field. 

Alexis Nunes of ESPN FC tweeted "this could get ugly," while Univision Deportes captured the third goal:

Things did get ugly in the second half, and Brazil continued to pour it on with Gabriel's goal off Elias' assist at the 59th minute, via Univision Deportes:

As if that wasn't enough, Lima headed in his team's fifth goal at the 67th minute off a cross from Dani Alves. Jared Wade of FanSided said Brazil was "just being cruel at this point" as it continued to build its goal differential with the performance.

That cruelty at least temporarily ended for the Haitians when Marcelin scored his country's first-ever Copa America goal at the 70th minute. Fatai Prince Alashe of the San Jose Earthquakes tweeted, "Pretty cool to see how excited these guys are to have scored a goal vs. Brazil regardless of the scoreline."

Haiti's excitement quickly faded when Augusto scored Brazil's sixth goal at the 86th minute, and Coutinho added a seventh in stoppage time.

Brazil looked unstoppable Wednesday, but it still hasn't clinched advancement out of the group stage because it only earned a single point in its first game. Its next contest comes Sunday against Peru, which will be for the Group B title if one side wins.

A victory in that one would ensure the Brazilians's advancement. If they play like they did Wednesday, they will have nothing to worry about.

Peru and Ecuador Draw, 2-2

It took a comeback, but Ecuador set itself up in an ideal position to advance through the group stages with its second draw in as many tries in the Copa America. Peru jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half behind goals from Christian Cueva and Edison Flores, but Ecuador answered with two goals of its own from Enner Valencia and Miller Bolanos to notch the 2-2 draw.

Ecuador may be in third place in Group B with two points, but Peru (four points) and Brazil (four points) both play each other in the final game of group play. If Ecuador beats Haiti and the Peru and Brazil game doesn’t end in a draw, Ecuador will advance.

Much like Brazil in the first game, Peru asserted itself in the early stages of Wednesday’s contest. Cueva scored the game’s first goal in the fifth minute after magnificently spinning past a helpless defender at the top of the box, via Univision Deportes:

Peru quickly stretched the advantage to 2-0 when Flores received a pass, teed himself up and scored with his left foot into the net's bottom corner from just inside the top of the box in the 13th minute, via Univision Deportes:

However, Ecuador settled in and controlled possession throughout much of the middle portion of the first half. Valencia gave his side its first goal at the 39th minute from close range, but it was Antonio Valencia who made the play with a perfectly placed lob into the box, via Univision Deportes:

Ecuador had plenty of momentum on its side after battling back, even though Peru took the 2-1 lead into the halftime locker rooms. Still, Copa America 2016 pointed out Peru had never lost a game in the tournament’s history after building a halftime lead.

Momentum won out over history early in the second half when Ecuador tied the game in the 48th minute. Bolanos tapped in Jefferson Montero's pass to draw even at two goals apiece after an impressive push forward from the Ecuadorian side, via Univision Deportes:

After a back-and-forth first 48 minutes, the defenses started to turn back scoring chances on both sides of the field. The score held at 2-2 past the 80th minute even though both Ecuador and Peru had offensive opportunities present themselves during the second half.

As the contest entered its tense final few minutes, soccer analyst Alexi Lalas called it “wonderful” and said it was one of the top three matches of the Copa America to this point.

It almost felt appropriate that neither side lost Wednesday, and the defenses held strong for the remainder of the 2-2 draw. Peru did have a golden chance during a play on from Gabriel Achilier's red card right before the final whistle but could not convert.

Peru also missed a chance to clinch advancement through the group stage by blowing its lead, but it is still in solid position with four points heading into Sunday’s showdown against Brazil. A victory for either side clinches first place in Group B, but Ecuador looms as a threat to the loser with its two points.