Brazil coach Dorival Junior has taken “full responsibility” for his team’s disappointing exit from the Copa América after losing to 10-man Uruguay 4-2 on penalties.
Despite a one-man advantage after Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández was sent off in the 74th minute, Brazil couldn’t salvage a winner.
The Saturday’s quarter-final clash eventually ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, forcing a penalty shootout.
Éder Militão and Douglas Luiz missed their penalties for Brazil, while Alisson Becker saved a shot from José María Giménez.
Manuel Ugarte scored the winning penalty for Uruguay, knocking Brazil out of the tournament.
“This type of work requires a great amount of patience,” said Dorival, who took charge in January.
“I do have to acknowledge that these weren’t the expected results, and I take full responsibility for them.
“But I do think as well that this team has great room to grow and evolve and improve,” the coach added.
Dorival defended his players, emphasizing the challenges they faced after wrapping up their club campaigns before the competition.
“Many of them joined us after long seasons,” he said. “Considering what we saw at the training sessions and every day, I think we can still grow as a team.”
Brazil’s early exit follows a lackluster group stage performance, where they managed just one win before falling to Uruguay in the knockout round.
This marks a decline for the Seleção, who were finalists in 2021 and champions in 2019.
“This is a process; in general, you come across difficulties when you’re creating a team,” Dorival explained.
He noted that this was Brazil’s first official tournament under his leadership. “Our main objective now is to qualify for the World Cup.”
