Vinicius shines as Brazil bounce back with 4-1 win vs Paraguay

Vinícius Júnior had an outstanding performance in Brazil’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay at the Copa América in Las Vegas. He scored twice to help the Seleção recover from their underwhelming 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in their opening game. In that match, Vinícius struggled, failing to register a shot on goal and being substituted midway through the second half.

Against Paraguay, Vinícius was in top form from the start. He opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a low finish following an assist from Lucas Paquetá. After Sávio doubled the lead, Vinícius added a third goal for Brazil just before halftime by closing down Paraguay defender Omar Alderete and deflecting his clearance into the net.

Vinicius Jr. hit the ‘calma’ 🥶 pic.twitter.com/EGQ3DuD2bN

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 29, 2024

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Vinícius had the opportunity to complete a hat-trick but instead allowed Paquetá, who had missed a penalty earlier in the match, to take a second-half spot kick. Paquetá converted the penalty, sealing the victory for Brazil.

These were Vinícius’ first non-penalty goals for Brazil since he scored against South Korea in the 2022 World Cup, and his first multi-goal game in his 32nd appearance for the national team.

The win was a strong response from Brazil after their disappointing start to the tournament. With four points, Brazil is now just two points behind group leader Colombia, which defeated Costa Rica 3-0 earlier on Friday. A win or draw against Colombia on Tuesday will secure one of the group’s two spots in the knockout stage for Brazil.