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Philippe Coutinho's Brace Leads Brazil Past Bolivia in 2019 Copa America Opener
June 15, 2019
Host nation Brazil overcame a sluggish start to open the 2019 Copa America tournament with a 3-0 victory over Bolivia on Friday night at Estadio do Morumbi in Sao Paulo.
Philippe Coutinho scored twice inside the first 10 minutes of the second half to pace a Selecao attack that was mostly listless before halftime. Everton added the other goal in the match's final minutes.
The Brazilian defense looked far more in form for the full 90, holding La Verde to one shot on target to help goalkeeper Alisson secure the clean sheet.
Brazil entered the tournament under a lot of pressure to perform despite the absence of superstar forward Neymar, who suffered an ankle injury during a friendly against Qatar last week.
The weight of those expectations was on display as the Selecao were booed by their home fans after a scoreless first half that featured lackluster movement and virtually no creativity in the attacking third.
Brazil, which began the tournament as an 11-10 betting-line favorite (via Vegas Insider), owned 72 percent of possession in the opening 45 minutes. It generated very little offense, however, forcing a single save from Bolivian goalkeeper Carlos Lampe amid 12 attempted shots.
The Brazilians came out with much more energy to open the second half and earned a penalty kick for a handball following a VAR review less than five minutes after halftime.
Coutinho delivered a sublime penalty into the left side of the net to give Brazil a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute.
The Selecao increased their advantage just three minutes later as Roberto Firmino hoisted in a picture-perfect cross into the path of Coutinho, who easily headed it past Lampe for the brace.
Bolivia lacked the necessary attacking firepower to mount a serious comeback bid. Brazil continued to dominate the possession battle and kept La Verde a good distance from goal despite the underdogs pushing more players forward in the final 20 minutes seeking a late surge.
Everton closed out the opener with a terrific goal on an assist from Fernandinho in the 85th minute:
Both squads will return to action Tuesday. Bolivia will take on Peru in the first match followed by Brazil looking to build off its strong second half Friday when it clashes with Venezuela in the nightcap.