Neymar was sidelined due to an injᴜry and did not participate in Copa America 2024 with the Brazilian team. Nevertheless, he traveled to the U.S. to support his home team. The “Samba dancers” were anticipated to easily overcome Costa Rica to kickstart their journey towards the championship with enthusiasm.

But reality proved otherwise! Brazil struggled and faced a stalemate against Costa Rica. Stars like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Raphinha, and Lucas Paqueta found themselves ᴜtterly stymied by Costa Rica’s formidable defense.

A key missed opportunity came in the 25th minute when Raphinha, after receiving a long pass from a teammate, fired a shot that was blocked by goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira.

In the 30th minute, Rodrygo managed to put the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Later, in the 63rd minute, Lucas Paqueta took a powerful long-range shot, only to see the ball Һit the post.

The strikers’ lack of effectiveness resulted in a 0-0 draw for Brazil.

In a desperate attempt to find a goal, Selecao manager Dorival Junior shuffled his lineup in the last 20 minutes, replacing Real Madrid star Vinicius with teenage prodigy Endrick. Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, was visibly confused by this decision, raising his arms in disbelief.

Watching his teammates strᴜggle, Neymar sat in the stands, holding his head in frustration.

Neymar was baffled when Vinicius Júnior was substituted.

In the other Group B match, Colombia defeated Paraguay 2-1. With this result, Colombia leads the group with 3 points, while Brazil and Costa Rica are tied in second with 1 point each. Paraguay is currently at the bottom with 0 points.