With a semi-final spot against high-flying Colombia up for grabs and eight of the last 10 meetings between the two South American heavyweights featuring at least three goals, the Sin City crowd awaited a spectacle of the beautiful game.
The stakes were at an all-time high, but the tight nature of the encounter forced every pass to be fiercely contested, with the first real opportunity falling for the Samba Boys little after the half-hour mark.
Moments after Darwin Nunez agonisingly sent a header flying over the woodwork, Raphinha emerged at the other end with space inside the box, only to see Sergio Rochet palm away his powerful shot with aplomb.
The Internacional shot-stopper was largely responsible for keeping the Celeste’s neck above the water, as yet another save in stoppage time from Raphinha’s effort meant the first period ended on level terms going into the interval.
Neither of the two sides playing this tournament had been behind on the scoreline, and after Federico Valverde earned Uruguay their maiden shot on target with a long-range effort, things began to heat up inside the Allegiant Stadium with the onset of the final 30 minutes.
Just as Marcelo Bielsa’s men thought they had control of the game, Brazil were gifted a lifeline when a yellow card for Nahitan Nandez turned rouge following a VAR review for a studs-up challenge on Rodrygo, as 10-man Uruguay were tasked with keeping a hungry Selecao at bay for the final few minutes.
Despite the Celeste’s best efforts, it was all Brazil thereafter, although the men in yellow struggled to find an opening when it mattered the most. No one team distinguished itself over the other as full-time approached, with the stage set for a penalty shootout for the third time in four Copa América quarter-finals.
Having been knocked out of the tournament twice in succession before at this stage on penalties, an ominous event awaited Uruguay, but Brazil got off to a poor start with Eder Militao’s miss. The Celeste netted their first three spot-kicks and only needed to dispatch one more after Douglas Luiz struck the post.
The victory ultimately arrived via Manuel Ugarte’s final kick after Jose Maria Gimenez had missed his earlier chance, as Selecao failed to reach the semi-finals for the for the first time in three tournaments.
Meanwhile, Uruguay march on, with a showdown against Colombia awaiting them as a barrier in their quest for a record 16th Copa América title.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Federico Valverde (Uruguay)
