Roberto Firmino Scores, Brazil Beat Peru 5-0 to Win Group A at 2019 Copa America

Brazil booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Copa America on Saturday, courtesy of a 5-0 win over Peru.

Casemiro gave the Selecao the lead after 12 minutes, and Roberto Firmino doubled their advantage seven minutes later. Everton added to the lead before half-time, and Dani Alves made it 4-0 early in the second half. Willian added a late goal of his own, while Gabriel Jesus missed a penalty in injury time.

Venezuela won 3-1 against Bolivia to beat Peru to second place and an automatic spot in the quarter-finals. Peru can still join them but will have to wait on the results from the other groups to learn if they're among the best third-placed finishers.

The clash at the top of the table had a feisty start, with plenty of early fouls and little in terms of chances.

The first man to be booked was Casemiro, who will not feature in the quarter-finals as a result:

And just two minutes after he was carded, the Real Madrid man reminded the Selecao of what they'll miss, opening the scoring with a strong header.

That goal was exactly what Brazil needed after a tricky start, during which Peru had arguably been the better team. And just seven minutes later, Firmino doubled their advantage, courtesy of some comical work from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.

Blogger Jack Lang broke down the hilarious sequence which preceded the goal, involving a dreadful clearance that bounced off the Liverpool man and hit the woodwork:

The two goals effectively killed whatever early momentum Peru had mustered. Brazil played freely, putting together a handful of chances, mostly through Philippe Coutinho and Everton.

It was the latter who made it 3-0 with a goal that was reminiscent of his effort against Bolivia, cutting inside before blasting the ball into the near corner.

Jesus went close to making it 4-0, narrowly missing after a great solo effort, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker had to make a late stop on Miguel Trauco to preserve his clean sheet in the first half.

Everton continued to be the main danger man in the second half, going down inside the box and appealing for a penalty before forcing another good save from Gallese. 

A fourth goal seemed only a matter of time, and it was full-back Alves who found it after 54 minutes, finishing off an excellent team move.

As explained by sports writer Daniel Edwards, Brazil's running up the score was good news for arch-rivals Argentina:

Firmino nearly made it 5-0 after a couple of stepovers, but Gallese saved with his legs. At this point, Peru had already removed their top attacking weapons, and the match petered out completely.

Gallese made another good stop on Jesus, who was denied a deserved goal, despite his best efforts. Instead, it was Willian who put the final score on the board. Jesus spurned one more golden opportunity from the penalty spot.

What's Next?

The bracket for the knockout stages won't be set until the final matches in Group C are played on Monday. Brazil will be in action on Thursday.