They say that Marcelo Bielsa He charges millions of dollars for his work. There must be a reason. He must know something Locowhich was able to initiate a transformation in Uruguay that is beginning to bear fruit. La Celeste reached the semifinals of the America Cup. And he did it, nothing more and nothing less, leaving Brazil. It is true that on Saturday night, in Las Vegas, he did not show the best version of himself. However, with the old recipe of charrúa claw, it was enough and more than enough to eliminate an apathetic rival. It was 0-0 in the 90s and 4-2 on penalties to get into the top four. Colombia, the very good team of Néstor Lorenzo, another Argentine coach, is the only obstacle that separates them from the final of the tournament.
Uruguay and Brazil promised a lot, one for the present and the other for history, in this early final that took place in the quarterfinals. However, little happened in the first quarter of an hour in that technological colossus that is Allegiant Stadium. The Celesterespecting Bielsa’s philosophy to the letter, came out to challenge Doríval Junior’s team for the lead role in the match. And the duel, logically, was as frenetic as it was stuck.. It was logical: no one wanted to be left out of the competition so early. Nobody spared intensity.
Possession was divided in the first half and the one that sought the most was Uruguay with De la Cruz and Valverde in the lead and an electric Ugarte in containment. However, It cost him an enormous amount to put Alisson in danger.
Brazil, on the other hand, looked like it was waiting to find some oversight. He missed Vinicius, suspended, because Endrick gravitated little or not at all. And in Raphinha he had the most unbalanced player of his. Bielsa’s former pupil at Leeds United had two clear chances, but in both he ran into Rochet.
In the second half, Uruguay came out a little better, although far from what they had been showing in the tournament. Bielsa’s men, meanwhile, managed to maintain the intensity against a more static Brazil. The minutes passed and the goals began to be further and further away from the hot zone that was the midfield.
Strong leg -excessively- in each divided ball because neither Uruguayans nor Brazilians wanted to give away centimeters. Such vehemence ended up costing former Boca Nahitan Nández dearly, who saw red, after the VAR correction on the Argentine referee Darío Herrera, after a violent tackle on Rodrygo.
Eleven against ten, Brazil became a little more encouraged and Uruguay, after Bielsa tried to rebuild the team without forwards on the field, dedicated itself to holding on until the penalties. And he had his reward. Because Rochet blocked Militao’s initial shot and Douglas Luiz hit one of the posts squarely. It didn’t matter that Alisson won heads-up against Josema Giménez. The thing is that Ugarte did not miss the second match point and the Celeste, just, got into the semifinals of the Copa América.