maracaibo

Defending champions Brazil reached the Copa America final on Tuesday, beating a feisty Uruguay on penalties after twice surrendering the lead in a 2-2 draw. Maicon put Brazil ahead early on before a floodflight failure stopped the first half of the semifinal for 14 minutes.

Whatever glimmer came off the reputations of Brazil and Uruguay during the first round of the Copa America was certainly polished during the quarterfinals. The heavyweights redeemed themselves with one-sided victories over the weekend and face off against one another on Tuesday for a berth in the final, each emboldened by their high-scoring blowouts.