NEYMARless BRAZIL SEE OFF VENEZUELA

 

Neymar may be out of the Copa America, but Brazil are still in it. There may have been a frantic final few minutes after Miku cut the five-time World Cup winners' lead to 2-1, but the majority of this game brought Brazil's best play of the tournament -- and without their best player.
Then again, this was also a game of contradictions. Brazil looked so ferocious for so long but so fragile when it mattered. Analysis of all that will come ahead of their quarterfinal with Paraguay, and it is an intriguing question, given how they have now secured first spot in the group.
Of course, much of it has to be put in the context of a Venezuela who only belatedly started playing. They mostly looked like they didn't know the result of the earlier 0-0 draw between Colombia and Peru, and it beggars belief that their grandstand finish came so late. It ended up coming too late, although Miku still missed the chance to put them through. They are instead out.
That is the other consequence of this game. Brazil did the team that caused them such trauma in the World Cup -- and again in the group stage of this tournament -- a huge favour, as this result meant Colombia qualified by the skin of their teeth in third, behind second-placed Peru.