Brazil is regarding its first loss in a year as a helpful inconvenience, a wakeup call for its Copa America quarterfinal against inform Mexico on Sunday.
Brazil’s 2-1 upset to Paraguay’s Athens Olympic squad capped a dramatic end to the first round and set up highly-anticipated quarterfinal clashes this weekend.
Peru plays Argentina in Chiclayo on Saturday, followed by reigning champion Colombia against Costa Rica in Trujillo.
Then on Sunday, Paraguay meets Uruguay in Tacna, and Brazil tackles Mexico in Piura.
Costa Rica claimed the last quarterfinal berth on Wednesday by stealing a 2-1 victory against Chile deep in injury time at Tacna, and eliminated Chile and Bolivia.
Paraguay’s champion under-23 squad followed and put a lid on Brazil’s hyperbole but not the world champion’s expectations.
Two openings wins by Brazil’s second-string outfit led coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to declare his team was ready to beat all comers. However, after he rested captain Alex, Mancini and Juan, Brazil lost to Paraguay for the first time at the Copa since 1979.
”Luckily this loss doesn’t set us back in our plans to reach the final, it came in a good moment,” said Parreira. ”This should be a warning to us. In the playoffs we won’t be able to make these mistakes.” Brazil hasn’t beaten Mexico in six meetings since 1999.
”Mexico is very organized, motivated, plays strong, and has a lot of personality,” Parreira said. ”It should be an interesting game.”
Mexico’s main concern wis for Jared Borgetti, whose return from his sister’s funeral in Mexico was unclear. Ramon Morales, whose free kick sank Argentina 1-0, is bothered by a right ankle injury but is expected to be ready on Sunday.
”We feel like we’re closing in on winning the title,” said coach Ricardo Lavolpe. ”Mexico is playing very solidly and showing a winners’ attitude. We’re a team that fights and fights and leaves everything on the pitch.”
Mexico has made it to the quarterfinals for the sixth time in six appearances, and the Tricolors have failed to move on only once, in 1995.
Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa’s biggest concern seemed to be choosing a striker between FC Barcelona’s Javier Saviola and Cruz Azul’s Luciano Figueroa. Saviola scored three goals against Ecuador but hasn’t struck since, while Figueroa put in two goals against Uruguay.
”We’re relaxed and confident,” said Inter Milan midfielder Cristian Gonzalez. ”From here on out it’s up to us to win and put the last few months behind us.”
Argentina will be without midfielder Javier Mascherano, who has too many yellow cards, and will be replaced by Villareal’s Fabricio Coloccini.
Yellow cards will also sideline Peru’s teenage striker Jefferson Farfan, who recently signed with PSV Eindhoven. The good news was captain Claudio Pizarro had successful surgery on Thursday in Germany for the fractured skull injury he suffered in an on-field collision in Lima last Friday.
Peru, still not talking to its home press, was considering replacing Farfan by pairing Andres Mendoza and Flavio Maestri up front, or promoting midfielders Pedro Garcia or Roberto Palacios.
The host’s last victory against Argentina was also their last meeting at the Copa, in the 1997 quarterfinals.
”Peru closed out the first round playing well,” said Argentina midfielder Juan Pablo Sorin. ”It will be extra tough with them playing at home.”
Defending champion Colombia will play Costa Rica without Arley Dinas and Gonzalo Martinez, who accumulated two yellow cards each, but its nine-game unbeaten run in the Copa since 2001 has made the Colombians highly confident.
”Nobody counted us among the contenders for the title when the tournament started, and now we’re here with a legitimate shot to repeat,” said goalkeeper Juan Carlos Henao.
However, nobody was more pleased to be playing Colombia than Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto, a Colombian. And he was appointed only two weeks before the tournament.
”Professor Pinto knows the Colombian team very well and I’m sure he will put together the best plan to help us win the game,” said Andy Herron, who lifted the Ticos into the quarterfinals with his goal three minutes into second-half injury time against Chile.
Defender Leonardo Gonzalez injured his knee against Chile, and if he can’t play on Saturday, Junior Diaz will replace him, Pinto said.
Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati was disappointed they didn’t draw Colombia in the quarterfinals, after Colombia whipped Uruguay 5-0 in World Cup qualifying last month.
”It still hurts,” Fossati said. ”But I guess we’ll have to get our rematch once the qualifiers start again.”
Poor defense was one of the reasons why Uruguay came to the Copa with low expectations, but its much improved showing — including a 2-2 draw with Mexico — has Uruguay dreaming again of winning a record 15th Copa.
However, it might be without captain and Juventus defender Paolo Montero, who had back problems, and missed the 4-2 loss to Argentina on Tuesday.
Uruguay will have to beat Paraguay for the first time since the 1999 Copa, though.
Paraguay’s pre-tournament plan of preparing its under-23 team for the Olympics has suddenly turned into a run at the Copa title after beating Brazil and Costa Rica.
”Now comes the hardest part,” said coach Carlos Jara Saguier.
”But we have every intention of taking the Copa home.” — Sapa