Copa America Opener: Brazil 3 Bolivia 0

• As Coutinho brace silences boos
  

Philippe Coutinho’s second-half brace saw hosts, Brazil breezing past fellow South American nation, Bolivia in Friday’s Group A curtain-raiser in the on-going Copa America tournament.

Coutinho hit the net twice as the Brazilians taught their unlucky Bolivian counterparts some football lessons in Sao Paulo.

After an underwhelming first half at Estadio do Morumbi, the Barcelona forward shoved off a lethargic performance to score twice within a space of eight minutes of the second half.

A VAR check and a handball call be the referee saw Coutinho making no mistakes from the penalty spot in the 50th minute.

He was on target again three minutes later making it 2-0 after capping a sweeping move by the host nation.

Substitute Everton came off the bench to score the goal of the night with a blistering effort from outside the area in the 84th minute.

The victory saw the Selecao, who have won the Copa on each of the previous four occasions they have hosted in 1919, 1922, 1949 and 1989, making a winning start in their Group A fixtures

With their superstar Neymar missing in action following an ankle injury that ruled him out of the tournament, Brazil, the 2018 World Cup quarter-finalists, dominated play but still struggled to create any clear-cut chances.

Thiago Silva saw a header flash wide of the post and Casemiro came close with an audacious effort for Brazil, who had 77 per cent of the possession in the opening 45 minutes.

The half-time whistle was met by a chorus of boos around the stadium amid a subdued atmosphere as Brazil failed to impress against Bolivia, a nation that they had won nine and drawn two of the past 11 games on home soil, scoring 46 goals and conceding just four times.

However, a VAR check helped ease some of the tension and pressure with the ground after Adrian Jusino was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area.

Coutinho easily converted the spot-kick before completing a quick-fire double after latching on to Roberto Firmino’s cross at the back post.

The result was never in doubt from that point as Brazil turned the fans’ boos into cheers in the south-west of Sao Paulo.

The icing on the cake came from substitute Everton who scored a stunning long-range goal with six minutes remaining of the proceedings.

Seeking a ninth Copa title and their first since 2007, Coach Tite’s Brazil got the job done in Friday’s curtain-raiser, but it was not perfect for the Selecao as they only managed to claim their 100th Copa victory.

Despite Brazil’s lackluster play, especially in the first half, it was Barcelona attacker Coutinho, who had struggled at Camp Nou all through 2018/19 season that came to the party. There were speculations of his likely return to the Premiership via Chelsea or Manchester United.

But taking the centre stage, Coutinho, showed up when Brazil needed him most with his first international brace since scoring a hat-trick against Haiti at the Copa America Centenario.

However, if the half-time boos are anything to go by, Brazil did not live up their fans’ expectations before the break.

Richarlison and Roberto Firmino were virtually non-existent in the first half, while Coutinho and David Neres struggled to make an impact. Though the Selecao did beat Bolivia in the opener, they will be punished against better opposition if they do not improve.

What’s next?

Brazil will look to make it two wins from two against Venezuela on Tuesday, while Bolivia take on Peru on the same day. – Goal.com