Vinicius Junior began the 2024 Copa America on the shoulder of greatness.
The Brazil forward was the star performer in Real Madrid’s Champions League and La Liga double.
Yet at the conclusion of the Copa America group stages a season that had looked destined to propel him toward a possible first Ballon d’Or is stuttering.
Brazil played Colombia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Tuesday. The match was for first place in Group D, and a chance to face off against Panama in the quarter-final.
Colombia had won its opening games of the tournament: 2-1 against Paraguay and 3-0 against Costa Rica. Brazil, meanwhile, struggled, drawing 0-0 with Costa Rica before a redemptive 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
Vinicius performed like a world beater in that game, scoring twice, terrorizing the Paraguayan defense with speed, skill and a rainbow flick. His first goal is one of the best of the tournament so far, a team goal that saw him involved first on the left wing and finally applying the finish in the inside right position.
So, the stage was set for Vinicius to guarantee Brazil’s progression.
A win for either side would have seen them top the group, while a draw would see Brazil qualify in second place, regardless of how Costa Rica got on against Paraguay.
But within the opening minute, it was clear that Colombia, on a 25-game unbeaten run, was going to provide Brazil with their strongest test of the tournament so far.
Colombia right-back Daniel Munoz had the task of attempting to stop Vinicius. The Crystal Palace player began the game by kicking his opponent and spent the rest of the game trying to get close enough to continue doing so.
Colombia, set up in a 4-2-3-1, did a good job of keeping the ball away from Brazil’s left side.
Despite some early Colombian pressure, Brazil took the lead on 12 minutes through a spectacular free kick from FC Barcelona’s forward Raphina.
Colombia thought they had equalized when Davison Sanchez headed in a free kick that was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
That Munoz had Colombia captain, James Rodriguez, a player notoriously averse to the defensive side of the game in front of him, underlined the task facing the Palace man. Handling the world’s best player was going to be a solo mission.
And yet, he had the better of the opening exchanges, getting close to his vaunted opponent as soon as possible, disturbing Vinicius’ rhythm and minimizing the space for the Brazilian to utilize his blistering speed.
A harsh yellow card on seven minutes, which means Vinicius will miss Brazil’s next game, may have removed some of the starman’s shine. Aside from one dribble, Brazil’s talisman was relatively quiet for much of the first half, with much of the credit going to Munoz.
Then with three minutes before halftime Vinicius had the chance to square up his opponent, dribbling past him and luring Munoz into a lunge inside the Colombia box that looked like a clear penalty. Yet, after some deliberation and a VAR check the Venezuelan referee, Jesus Valenzuela, awarded a corner amid much consternation from the Brazilian players and fans.
CONMEBOL would later issue a video admitting the penalty should have been awarded.
The non-foul foul was the one time Vinicius had the beating of Munoz in the first 45 minutes.
The half concluded with Munoz scoring a deserved equalizer for Colombia, racing onto a delicious through ball, he finished emphatically past Alisson in the Brazil goal. The game was tied, but Vinicius was not winning his personal battle with Munoz.
In the second half, Vinicius, perhaps reacting to Munoz’s close attention to that, adopted a deeper position, often waiting for the ball ten years deeper. The tactic seemed to be to stretch the pitch and increase his space to run into.
Munoz, though, appeared liberated rather than intimidated by Vinicius’ ploy and took advantage of his opponent’s remoteness to join Colombia’s increasingly frequent attacks. As the second half progressed, Colombia looked more likely to score, going close on a couple of occasions.
The game finished 1-1, allowing both teams to progress to the quarterfinals, and it was played with real intensity.
Rodriguez, who had clipped the Brazilian bar in the first half, was full of invention and creation. It might be ten years since his career zenith at the 2014 World Cup, but James has created 11 chances so far at this Copa, more than any other player. When he is on it, he remains a supremely gifted and elegant forward.
After Brazil’s win against Paraguay, Vinicius voiced his dissatisfaction with all things Conmebol, critiquing the South American federation for the small pitches being used at the tournament—100 by 64 meters is the absolute minimum allowed—the quality of refereeing and general disorganization.
As the game reached its conclusion, Colombia had the better chances. A victory would not have been undeserved. They will face Panama in the quarterfinals, while Brazil faces Group C winners Uruguay.
The winners of those ties would face off in the semi-finals, and if Brazil and Colombia were to meet again, the 70,971 fans in attendance at Levi’s Stadium would have few complaints.
Although Munoz kept Vinicius quiet here, the Real Madrid forward has enjoyed a spectacular season. A starring role in his team’s Champions League and La Liga double has seen many pundits tipping him as a potential winner of the Ballon d’Or in October.
Indeed, with Kylian Mbappe playing behind a broken nose and inside a mask and Jude Bellingham masking poor performances with “Who else?” wonder-strikes at Euro 2024, the race to be named the world’s best player appears quite open at the moment.
Brazil will surely need Vinicius if they are to win the Copa this year. Whether they will get past Uruguay without him is a big question.
One thing that can’t be denied after this contest however, the £6.9 million ($8.7 million) Crystal Palace paid to sign Munoz from Belgian side Racing Genk in January looks like a ridiculous bargain. His Premier League displays under new Palace coach Oliver Glasner have earned widespread praise.
Vinicius certainly appeared impressed. At the final whistle, he embraced Munoz, and the two shared a few words with Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.
Keeping Vinicius quiet for 90 minutes underlies Munoz’s quality and also that the race for the 2024 Ballon d’Or is not a foregone conclusion.
On this evidence, Brazil, beaten finalists in the last Copa, may have to wait a little longer before reclaiming the title they last held in 2019.
