Brazil Tops Paraguay on Penalties, Advances to 2019 Copa America Semifinals

Brazil is the first team into the 2019 Copa America semifinals after beating Paraguay on penalties.

The two sides battled to a scoreless draw over the first 90 minutes of the match Thursday in Porto Alegre, Brazil. With no extra time, La Selecao earned the quarterfinal victory with a 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks.

After entering the tournament as the favorites, Brazil continues to shine in their home country and are now just two wins away from their first continental title since 2007. 

Brazil had dominated regulation without scoring a goal, taking 26 shots compared to just five for Paraguay.

While this put even more pressure on the home team heading into penalties, Gabriel Jesus was there to calmly score the game-winning penalty:

A key save by Alisson at the start of the penalty kicks also helped seal the win.

Paraguay came out with an extremely conservative approach to try to limit the Brazil attack:

While each team fought through into the box at different times, it still led to a slow start to the match:

There was a combined four shots on goal in the first half, but neither side was able to break through.

Brazil increased the pressure in the second half, however, pushing the possession deeper into the final third and keeping Paraguay on their heel.

The aggression eventually caused a red card on Fabian Balbuena on a foul just outside the box.

Still, the hosts couldn't find the back of the net and take advantage of their opponent being a man down.

La Selecao seemingly had numerous opportunities at a go-ahead goal in the final half-hour, including a shot from Willian that hit the post in the 90th minute.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to earn the win, and the match went to penalties.

An Alisson save on the first penalty shot helped give Brazil the momentum followed by easy goals from Willian, Marquinhos and Philippe Coutinho. Derlis Gonzalez missed wide left for Paraguay, allowing Jesus to end the match with the final shot.

Brazil has arguably the best attack in the tournament, even without Neymar, but the team will have to work on finishing opportunities even when the defense is parking the bus in the box. Still, the squad should be happy about earning a win regardless of how it happened.

After surviving this difficult battle, the team now has a chance to keep advancing and potentially win the entire Copa America title.

What's Next?

Brazil will now take on the winner of Venezuela and Argentina in the Copa America semifinal.