The United States men’s national soccer team bounced back from a shocking 5-1 loss to Colombia with a gritty 1-1 draw in a friendly against Brazil Wednesday. Christian Pulisic equalized with free kick goal in the 26th minute and neither team could gain an advantage from that point on.

The U.S. team’s loss to Colombia on Saturday ahead of the Copa America tournament set off alarms for a weary American fanbase. Though the United States has improved since failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the team is still in the process of finding its identity.

But through Pulisic and goalkeeper Matt Turner, who made 12 saves against Brazil, players seemed to recover well in a solid showing. USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said that he was encouraged to see the team take the loss to Colombia as a wake-up call.

“We talked to the guys before the game and we just asked two things of them, we asked for teamwork and intensity,” Berhalter said. “And the way we framed it is that they are two things that are totally in their control. Right? It doesn’t matter about the opponent. It doesn’t matter about the field or fans or anything. Those are two things that they can control. And that’s the type of effort that we saw today.”

The United States are not a serious contender in the upcoming Copa America, as teams like Argentina and Brazil are expected to outclass their local rivals. Still, Pulisic’s playmaking ability gives the team a fighting chance against the very best, as he demonstrated when the U.S. advanced to the knockout stage in the 2022 World Cup.

“It’s such an exciting time for our team and for our country,” Pulisic said. “It’s hard not to look forward too much, but we want to show this country that we can compete with the best. And we have the opportunity to do that. We’re going to try to go as far as we can.”

The Philadelphia Eagles will be part of the NFL’s first regular season game in São Paolo, Brazil, on September 6, the day after opening kickoff on Thursday night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced.

This game holds great significance in the NFL for two reasons.

First, it’s that this will be the NFL’s first Friday game on the opening weekend of the season since the St. Louis Cardinals played the Los Angeles Rams on a Friday night for the 1970 season opener 54 years ago.

Second, it’s that the NFL international series has now expanded to six countries, with games previously being played at various locations in Britain, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan and now Brazil. There’s talk that Goodell and the NFL could be targeting Spain as a potential location for the 2024-25 season as well.

The game will be hosted in Corinthians Arena, which hosts over 49,000 fans and was host to several World Cup matches in 2014. That won’t be enough seats to host the 38 million NFL fans in Brazil with “increased” interest though, according to NFL.com.

“We are just incredibly enthusiastic about our growth on a global basis,” Goodell said. “We are convinced we can be a global sport in the near future. Our ownership has committed to allow more games to be played on an annual basis, on a global basis. We are excited about the fans’ reaction and our media partners. I think this is a great opportunity for the league and we are committed to making it a global sport.”

As a home game for the Eagles, they will be playing against one of their pre-determined home opponents for the 2024-25 season, which are the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Owners in the NFL passed a resolution in the fall compelling each team to play at least one international game every four years. It’s likely that São Paolo isn’t at the end of Goodell’s plans.

International soccer star Neymar suffered a torn ACL Wednesday during a match with the Brazilian national team. He will require surgery that could sideline him for eight months or more.

“It’s a very sad moment, the worst,” Neymar wrote on social media. “I know I’m strong but this time I’m going to need my family and friends even more. It’s not easy to go through injury and surgery. Imagine going through it all again after four  months of recovery.”

Neymar was competing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, which the team went on to lose 2-0. The Brazilian star, 31, went down with the injury in the 43rd minute and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

“Striker Neymar Jr. of the Brazilian team and Al-Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, underwent clinical and imaging tests this Wednesday, which confirmed the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee,” Brazil’s Football Confederation confirmed after the game in a statement.

The injury to one of soccer’s most popular stars could be a massive loss for the Brazilian team as well as Al-Hilal, his current club in Saudi Arabia. The team signed him to a massive deal reportedly worth $300 million in August.

Some speculate that a recent slate of setbacks could prevent Neymar from ever returning to his old form, which he demonstrated for the past decade as a member of the Brazilian national team and European clubs FC Barcelona and Paris-Saint Germain. He received ankle surgery in February and only returned in June before missing more time over the summer with muscular problems.

Though Neymar has never won a World Cup with Brazil or the Ballon d’Or as an individual club player, he did work with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to secure a Champions League trophy for FC Barcelona during the 2014-15 season. It remains to be seen if he will ever again be able to contribute to a team’s success in that manner again.

Lionel Messi and his International slump of no trophies continues Tuesday night after Argentina’s 2-0 loss against Brazil in the Copa America semifinals. Argentina hasn’t won a major international trophy in 26 years. The host nation Brazil moves on to the final to play the winner of Chile and Peru.

Brazil’s head coach Tite was on the hot seat after losing to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup for an early exit in disappointing fashion. Despite losing Neymar Jr. before the start of the tournament, analysts relayed the importance of winning this 2019 Copa America for Tite in order to keep his job for Brazil. Defeating their main South American archrivals Argentina proved to be a massive step in the right direction for the team and the coaching staff. Two of the bigger South American teams didn’t hold back with each other in terms of being feisty and physical. The head official had his hands full in Tuesday’s affair trying to control the tempers of both teams with a wild crowd on his heels. There were 31 total fouls with seven yellow cards issued.

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Brazil’s solid defensive display was a capstone to build upon, not allowing Messi any space as the Brazilian’s closed him down in waves whenever he found the ball. Brazil struck early in the first 20 minutes, with Gabriel Jesus scoring from Roberto Firmino’s assist. From there, the Brazilians sat deep and absorbed pressure, until they found a moment to counter-attack with the two goal contributors from the first goal swapping roles. Firmino put the came to bed in the 71st minute from an assist from Jesus. This shutout makes five straight games for Brazil not conceding a goal. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker hasn’t been scored on this tournament.

Brazil now have the chance to earn their ninth Copa America, the first title since 2007 with the final on Sunday. Uruguay leads the pack with 15 total titles, followed by Argentina’s 14. Peru or Chile will meet the Brazilians in the final after their match on Wednesday.

The heated rivalry between two of the top South American teams rekindles on Tuesday when the host nation Brazil face Argentina in the Copa America semifinals. Despite Brazil losing Neymar Jr. in a friendly against Qatar before the tournament, the Brazilians are still favored to win the tournament with their roster of immense depth. Lionel Messi is looking for his first international trophy with his home nation.

Argentina beat Venezuela 2-0 in their quarterfinals game thanks to strong defensive stand and two goals from Sergio Aguero and Giovani Lo Celso. Messi was quiet in their quarterfinal, playing more of a central role instead of his usual right-wing role. Since the Argentine team plays a 4-4-2, their wide midfielders aren’t as involved in the buildup-play as the central players. Messi may find it tough to find space in the middle of the park, as Brazil likes to play with two central-defensive midfielders. If Messi can find himself out wide, he may be more expressive in the attack for his country.

Brazil contains firepower all across their front line, with Roberto Firmino leading the line, Philippe Coutinho shadowing right behind him, and Willian and Gabriel Jesus on the flanks. Fernadinho and Arthur Melo hold down the middle, looking to shut down any build up from Messi and Aguero, and also providing passes of their own to help the attacking four. Alisson Becker will remain in goal for the Brazilians, as he saved a penalty kick in the shootout against Paraguay that sent them through to the semifinals. The backline anchored by Thiago Silva and Marquinhos will be essential in Brazil’s effort to shut down the Argentines. They have yet to face a team this Copa America who has truly opened up their offense and attacked their defense. Expect the Argentines to go at that back line.

Oddschecker has Brazil as favorites to go through at 22-25, while the Argentines are sitting at 9-2. The game is on Tuesday, starting at 8:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcasted on Telemundo Deportes, and can be streamed live on the Watch ESPN app.

Brazil beat Paraguay in the quarterfinals of the Copa America Thursday night on a penalty shootout. After 90 minutes of finishing 0-0, the game went straight to penalties and Brazil sends their way through to the semifinals to play the winner of Venezuela and Argentina.

The Brazilians had Paraguay on the ropes for the majority of the game, forcing them to sit back inside their own half and tirelessly defend Brazilians’ dynamic forwards, applying a total of 26 shots on them compared to Paraguay’s five. Roberto Firmino, Arthur Melo and Philippe Coutinho were applying pressure to the Paraguayans for 58 minutes before Firmino was clear on goal before being taken down just outside the penalty box. The foul saw the official raise a red card to the Paraguyan defender Fabian Balbuena.

After going down to 10 men, Paraguay had little to no chance of providing any sort of attack, settling to put all 10 men behind the ball and hold on until the final whistle. In other tournaments across the world, if it was tied after 90 minutes of play there would be an overtime of 30 minutes, but for this Copa America they have outlawed that, deciding to go straight to penalties after 90 minutes.

In penalties, Brazil’s goalkeeper Alisson Becker made an incredible save with the first shot to give his team a major momentum boost ahead of the rest of the shootout. Firmino missed his penalty to make it level for Paraguay but Derlis Gonzalez stepped up right after at sent his shot wide as well. Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus stepped up and sunk the winning penalty, sending his team through to the semifinals.

Brazil has arguably the best attack in the tournament, even without their star forward Neymar. With a stubborn Paraguayan defense fighting for a 0-0 and clinging on for penalties, its unlikely Brazil faces another play-style like that this tournament. The more offensively-capable teams will open up more and force Brazil to defend and honor their attacks. Brazil will find out who they play in the semifinals after Venezuela faces Argentina on Friday at 3:00 EST.

The Copa America quarter-finals kicks off Thursday and will last through the weekend, with the best South American teams fighting for the top spot.

The host nation Brazil had a rather slow start to the tournament and were booed from the majority of their home supporters for the first two games, but it might be the Brazilian faithful still shaking off some feathers after their disappointing World Cup rout against Belgium last year. Head coach Tite is in dire need of silverware under his belt this tournament, or he will be out as manager come next international tournament.

Brazil suffered the loss of their most influential attacker, Neymar, to an ankle injury that sees him miss the entire Copa America. Although they lack their star player, there is still little to no excuse for the team in terms of hoisting the cup in front of their home crowd. Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus have led the attack for the Brazilians, and that’s a better strike force than over half the teams in this quarter-final. They have the most experience in the back as well, with the likes of Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Brazil kicks off the quarter-finals hosting Paraguay, who are a tough side themselves. According to Action Network, Brazil is sitting at -2 on the spread, -1250 on odds to advance and -555 on the moneyline. The over/under for this game is higher than others prior, sitting at 3. The match starts at 8:00 p.m. EST and kicks off the knockout stage.

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Argentina faces a stubborn and strong defense in Venezuela. Their defense conceded just one goal in the three group stage games, keeping Peru and Brazil at bay with zero. The Argentine attack does, however, posses one of the best attackers in the world in Lionel Messi, along with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. With Argentina’s lackluster defense, expect the Venezuelans to knick a goal or two off of swift counter-attacking play from their forward Solomon Rondon. Argentina are favored to advance with -350, with the spread sitting at a shallow -1, according to Action Network. This game is the first of the two for Friday, starting at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Colombia vs. Chile is perhaps the most exciting matchup of the quarter-finals that is likely to be filled with goals. Both teams lack a strong defense and posses great attacking quality. Chile’s Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are likely to provide the goals, while FC Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal will be stringing the passes. Colombia’s 2014 World Cup breakout star James Rodriguez is a threat to any side going forward, along with experienced poacher Radamel Falcao supplying the goals. According to Action Network, the over/under is sitting a 2 goals, a line that will most likely hit the over. Colombia are -160 favorites, as they won all three group play games. This match is the second Friday game of the day, starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The last quarter-final game takes place on Saturday, with Uruguay facing Peru. Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are a duel threat up front, while Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin are as best as a center-back partnership you can find in this tournament. The Uruguayans are -300 favorites to go through to the semi-finals, with the over/under sitting at 2, according to Action Network. This match will start Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST.

All games will be broadcasted on Telemundo Deportes, or can be streamed live with the ESPN app.

The 2019 summer Copa America tournament of South American teams kicks off Friday with hosts Brazil taking on Bolivia. The group stage will last until June 24th, with the knockout stages finding a winner in the final on July 7.

Chile have won the tournament the past two times and will be looking for a hat trick of trophies in the space of six years. South American teams aren’t the only teams in the tournament, however, as for the first time in the history of the tournament, two teams from Asia — Japan and Qatar — were invited to participate in the tournament.

Per Oddschecker, Brazil are favorites to hoist the cup with 6-5 odds, followed by Argentina (15-4) and Uruguay (15-2). Brazil are without Neymar for the remainder of the tournament, as he suffered a right ankle injury in a friendly against Qatar on June 5.

The Brazil Football Confederation released a statement on Neymar’s status.

“After suffering a sprain in his right ankle during Wednesday’s game against Qatar, Neymar was evaluated and subjected to complementary imaging tests that confirmed ligament rupture in the ankle,” the statement read, according to ESPN. “Due to the seriousness of the injury, Neymar will not have the physical conditions and sufficient recovery time to participate in the Copa America.” Neymar also faces rape charges.

Brazil remains favorites, as Argentina has a track record of performing poorly in major international tournaments, as Lionel Messi has famously failed to win any trophies with his nation. This tournament seems to be following the same suit.

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“We go there with the same excitement and hope as always but the reality is we are in a period of transition and are not candidates,” Messi said, according to the Independent. Despite the team having one of the best strike forces in the world, the remainder of the squad can’t seem to match their ability. Argentina hasn’t won a Copa America since 1993.

Argentina open their tournament run against Colombia, a solid side led by playmaker James Rodriguez. Oddly enough, Japan or Qatar have a chance of winning the Copa America before Messi could. The Copa America will be broadcasted in Spanish on Telemundo, or it can be streamed with ESPN+, with Brazil opening against Bolivia on Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST.

A fire at Brazilian football club Flamengo’s Rio de Janeiro training center has left 10 people dead Friday. Firefighters were called at 2:17 a.m. EST to fight the blaze which had started in their youth club’s sleeping quarters.

At least six of the dead are youth players but only one has been identified. Club officials announced that Christian Esmerio, a 15-year-old goalkeeper, died in the tragedy.

“We are distraught,” Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim said outside the complex to a prayer circle “This is the worst tragedy to happen to the club in its 123 years.” He added: “The most important thing right now is to minimize the suffering of these families.”

The Rio de Janeiro fire department reported that several others were injured and one is in serious condition.

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“We managed to rescue the victims that were outside,” fire service Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Henaut said. “The place was completely overtaken by fire. As much as we tried to get inside and find people still alive that wasn’t… We only found bodies inside.” “We can’t tell you the cause of the fire, that needs to be investigated,” he added.

The state of the art center was expanded only two months before the blaze occurred. Aerial images show a red and black area, the team’s colors, burnt to the ground. It took over two hours to contain the flames.

The club posted to twitter saying that the team was in mourning. Rio de Janeiro has been hit by tragedies in the last 48 hours. Just Wednesday, six people died due to floods and mudslides after a storm.

Around soccer, condolences were offered. Ronaldinho, a product of the club, wrote: “It is a very big sadness, my thoughts and condolences are with all the family members and the Red-Black nation. Terrible tragedy!!!”

Pele would also say, “My day started with the news of about the training camp of @Flamengo — a place where young ones chase their dreams. It is a sad day for Brazilian football.”

Flamengo’s Saturday game has been postponed.

France and Belgium will face off in the FIFA World Cup semifinals next week after defeating Uruguay and Brazil, respectively in Russia on Friday.

France, Belgium Reach World Cup Semifinals

The two European teams will play on Tuesday at 2pm EST after France beat Uruguay 2-0 in Nizhny Novgorod, and Belgium eliminated five-time tournament champions Brazil with a 2-1 victory in Kazan to inch one step closer to their first-ever World Cup title.

Defenseman Raphael Varane and Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann scored for France, who won their first and only World Cup in 1998, the year they hosted the tournament. Before Friday, Uruguay had only allowed one goal in this World Cup, to Portugal in their previous game. On Friday, Edinson Cavani — who scored both goals against Portugal — sat out for Uruguay.

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Varane put Les Bleus up 1-0 in the 40th minute with a header on a free kick from Griezmann that Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera simply couldn’t stop. Griezmann doubled the lead in the 61st minute with a powerful far strike that Muslera initially blocked with his hands, although he couldn’t hold onto the ball and it soared above his head and into the net.

Griezmann was elated with the win but was classy in celebrating his victory. He shook hands with and hugged several Uruguayans, two of which are his club teammates in Madrid: Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez. 

French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also delivered a great game by making some spectacular saves, including one on a low header from Martín Cáceres near the end of the first half, just minutes after Varane’s goal.

France forward Kylian Mbappé, the 19-year-old Paris St-Germain attacker who is proving to be his national team’s rising star, was not as effective this game as the last, during which he scored two goals against Argentina. In fact, Mbappé drew a yellow card in the 68th minute after the referee accused him of exaggerating an injury from a tackle made by Uruguay’s Cristian Rodriguez. The replay clearly showed Mbappé did not react immediately to being hit, as there was a delay of about two seconds between when Rodriguez made the tackle and Mbappé fell to the ground, yelping and rolling in pain just as Neymar did in the Brazil-Mexico game. Rodriguez also received a yellow card for the incident.

Later on Friday, Belgium beat Brazil 2-1 after scoring twice in the first half. Embarrassingly enough, Belgium’s first goal was an early own goal from Brazil. In the 13th minute, Belgium took a corner kick and Brazilian defender Fernandinho leaped and accidentally knocked the ball into his own goal with his arm.

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Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne made it 2-0 with a well-placed long, low shot in the 31st minute. Brazilian substitute Renato Augusto created suspense in the 76th minute to score on a header and make it 2-1, but the South American squad ended up going home, four years after they were knocked out of the World Cup by a humiliating 7-1 semifinal loss to eventual champions Germany. Belgian goalie Thibaut Courtois made several key saves for his team, including a late one on a shot from Neymar.

The second World Cup semifinal will be defined on Saturday evening, after Sweden and England face off before Croatia and Russia play each other.

Two of the four 2018 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals will be held in Russia on Friday, and here is what you need to know.

World Cup Quarterfinals Preview

First, France and Uruguay will face off at 10am EST. France won its group (while Denmark finished second), but was not as impressive as expected in the first round. However, Les Bleus put on a stellar performance in defeating Argentina 4-3 in their last (round of 16) game, led by two goals from 19-year-old rising star Kylian Mbappé, who has now scored three times in the tournament.

Uruguay was just one of three teams in the tournament to win all three of its first-round games. The squad then defeated Portugal 2-1 in the round of 16 behind two goals from “El Matador” Edinson Cavani, who limped off the field in the second half after becoming injured. He is thus questionable for Friday’s quarterfinal.

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Uruguay have only allowed one goal this World Cup, to Portugal’s Pepe on Saturday. Uruguay has won two World Cups (1930, 1950), while France has won once (1998).

Both teams will surely pose a major threat to each other, as they both eliminated squads led by two of the world’s top soccer superstars: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. France also has a nine-game undefeated run against South American teams in the World Cup, so there is that to consider as well. However, this World Cup has been full of firsts and surprises, so we will have to wait and see.

At 2pm EST on Friday, Brazil and Beligum — two of the top-ranked teams in the World Cup — will face off. Belgium has scored 12 goals thus far in the tournament, the most of any team. They have also demonstrated they can score very different kinds of goals, both long, powerful strikes and headers. The Red Devils also won all three of their group-stage games, and count top players like Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.

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Regarding Brazil, most of the attention will again be on Neymar. The star Paris St-Germain forward drew severe criticism for exaggerating his injuries and wasting time in his team’s 2-0 victory over Mexico on Monday, despite finishing with a goal and an assist. Brazilian defenseman Casemiro is also suspended from the game against Belgium after drawing two total yellow cards. Brazil have won a record five World Cups, while Belgium has never won the tournament.

Mexican national soccer team coach Juan Carlos Osorio made it clear after his squad’s 2-0 round of 16 loss to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup on Monday that he was very unhappy with the game’s officiating, claiming the referees favored Brazil.

Mexico Coach Slams Neymar

Now, the 56-year-old Colombian has directed his anger toward someone else: Brazilian superstar Neymar. Osorio accused the 26-year-old Paris St-Germain forward of being overly dramatic about the severity of his injuries.

“We had control of the match, but to me it is just shameful that so much time could be lost over one player,” Osorio told ESPN. “The delay for one player was even four minutes, and that is a lesson for even children who play. This should be a game of men and not so much clowning around.”

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The coach was referring to an incident that happened about midway through the second half of Monday’s game. As Brazil led 1-0, Neymar was sitting on the field after chasing a ball that ended up out of bounds. Mexico’s Miguel Layun walked over to him and picked up the ball and while doing so, seemingly stepped on the Brazilian’s ankle. Neymar started writhing in pain on the floor and play was stopped for several moments.

Neymar was not taken out, however, and eventually jogged back onto the field after he realized he could continue playing. Many fans on social media appeared to agree with Osorio that Neymar was simply being theatrical and people criticized the star player for his antics.

According to ESPN, Layun said he didn’t purposely step on Neymar, and the Mexican defender said Neymar shouldn’t have complained that much because injuries are just part of the sport.

“In the end, it’s football. If he doesn’t want to be touched then he should do something else,” Layun said. “If he wants to be on the floor he should go lie down in his house. I touched him a little, but it was because when I went to collect the ball he tried to half-block me so I couldn’t. I wasn’t even looking at him. I was looking at the ball.”

“The referee even told me that, ‘We’ve looked at it and it’s not been a situation that you did with the intention of touching him.'”

Neymar is one of the most expensive soccer players in the world, having transferred from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain in 2017 for € 222 million (roughly $260 million).

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Despite criticizing the referees for being biased toward Brazil, Osorio also conceded that Mexico did not have as strong of an attacking strategy. Monday’s game marked 39-year-old Mexican defender Rafael Marquez‘s last career international match. Marquez is retiring amid allegations of having ties to drug cartels accused of money laundering, which has prompted the U.S. Treasury Department to open an investigation into him and these organizations.

Brazil next plays Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Mexico crashed out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Monday after a 2-0 second-round loss to Brazil in Samara, Russia.

Brazil Beats Mexico In World Cup 2018

Neymar and Roberto Firmino scored for five-time World Cup champions Brazil in the second half to propel the team into the quarter-finals. Mexico has now been knocked out of seven straight World Cups in the round of 16, after four total games played.

Mexico’s coach, Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio,  heavily criticized Neymar without naming him — specifically accusing the superstar of “acting” or faking the severity of his injuries —, as well as the referees for what he perceived to be unfair calls that favored Brazil.

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After beating defending World Cup winners Germany 1-0 in their opening game, Mexico had drawn the admiration of many fans. El Tri then defeated South Korea 2-1 in its second game, and despite losing to Sweden 3-0 in their final group-stage contest, advanced to the second round after the asian nation eliminated Germany with their own shocking 2-0 triumph.

Brazil will now face Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday at 2pm EST. Belgium advanced by eliminating Japan with a 3-2 comeback win after trailing 2-0 early in the second half.

Mexico had some strong scoring chances in the first half, starting in the ninth minute. On a corner kick, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez crashed into Brazil’s goalie Alisson Becker in an attempt to head in the ball. However, Brazil also threatened with several shots in the first half, and Mexico’s goalie Guillermo Ochoa was there to make multiple key stops, including one from Gabriel Jesus in the 33rd. Ochoa also denied Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho and other Brazilian attackers’ strikes in the second half.

Neymar put Brazil up 1-0 in the 51st minute, after he carried the ball across the top of the box and then back-passed it to Willian, who tapped it near the left side of the goal and Neymar re-connected to shoot from close range into a nearly wide-open goal, as Ochoa had been jockeying to make a save near one post.

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Carlos Vela had an opportunity for Mexico in the 61st, but Becker bumped it over the crossbar. In the 71st minute, Neymar was writhing on the ground after a tackle, and it appeared that Mexico’s Miguel Layun stepped on the Brazilian star’s foot while walking over to pick up the ball, and Neymar subsequently seemed to be in even greater pain.

The referee eventually gave Layun a yellow card after he took down Neymar again six minutes later.

Firmino doubled Brazil’s lead in the 88th minute with a goal similar to the first. After racing down the left side, he delivered a short cross that Firmino met to tap in from a few yards out after also running to meet the ball. Just moments before that goal, Osorio was seen furiously arguing with officials on the sideline about a previous call.

Belgium beat Japan 3-2 later on Monday thanks to a late goal from Nacer Chadli. Japan had been leading 2-0 after scoring two goals early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen, a Tottenham Hotspur defender, failed to intercept a pass that he could have stopped, and Genki Haraguchi raced forward to put the Asians up 1-0. Four minutes later, Japan doubled their lead after Takashi Inui fired a stellar strike from just outside the box. Vertonghen redeemed himself from his mistake to score Belgium’s first goal with a brilliant, powerful header from a difficult left-side angle in the 69th minute. Marouane Fellaini tied it five minutes later, and Chadli netted the game-winner in the 94th, using Romelu Lukaku as a dummy.

The last two round of 16 games will be played on Tuesday. Sweden and Switzerland will face off first, and the winner of that game will play the winner of England vs. Colombia in the quarterfinals.

Brazilian tennis legend Maria Bueno, who won three Wimbledon singles trophies, died on Friday in her native São Paulo. She was 78.

Maria Bueno Dies At 78

Bueno had received treatment for oral cancer after being diagnosed in 2016. Throughout her career, she won 19 Grand Slam championships, seven of them in singles, between 1958 and 1968. Bueno was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978.

According to her website, she won 589 tournaments.

Bueno reached the singles final at the French Open, where a brief tribute to her was shown before the women’s championship game in Paris on Saturday.

“She was the reigning queen of tennis in her day,” Billie Jean King told The New York Times in 1987 after playing Bueno in an exhibition doubles match at Madison Square Garden. “She just projected well and was so graceful with long, flowing strokes. She had all the things that people liked in a champion.”

Bueno carried the Olympic torch in São Paulo before the 2016 Summer Games.

One of the first titles Bueno took was the United Staes Nationals, a precursor to the U.S. Open. Her final major championship victory came in 1968, when she won the doubles trophy after playing alongside Margaret Court, one of her fiercest rivals.

Bueno was also known for causing surprise among fans in 1962 when she was discovered to have been wearing pink underwear after her skirt flew up during a match. The all-white clothing rule was introduced after that incident.

Bueno eventually worked as a tennis commentator in Brazil. Brazilian president Michel Temer said of the legend: “Maria Bueno will always be remembered as the No. 1 of tennis in the hearts of all Brazilians.”

According to The Guardian, Bueno was also a polyglot, and ended up learning to speak five languages fluently.

The center court at Rio’s Olympic Tennis Centre was named after her in 2015. Buneo is survived by her nephew Pedro.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar has said he is optimistic about being able to return from his injury to play in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Neymar Hopes to Return For 2018 World Cup

The 26-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward had surgery on a broken foot bone, which he injured in a game against Marseille on February 25. He has not played since then.

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Neymar said, however, that he will return to training on May 17 and that he hopes he will subsequently be available for Brazil’s opening World Cup game against Switzerland, which will be played June 17 in Russia.

“I hope to get there in great shape,” Neymar said. “I get my final examination on 17 May and then I’ll be free to play,” he stated at a press conference in Sao Paulo, where he is being treated.

“I had an examination last week, it is all perfect, evolving well, so I hope that continues so I can get back as soon as possible.

“I am having treatment every day, and from the moment I start training I am going to work harder than I ever worked because this is a dream that’s coming up. It’s a World Cup. I’ve waited four years for this chance, it’s close.”

Neymar signed with PSG in August 2017 after playing four years with Barcelona. The five-year deal he inked with the French club was for 222 million euros (about $275 million at today’s rate), a contract whose value broke the world record for any soccer player.

This season, Neymar has scored 25 goals and added 16 assists for PSG.

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Neymar played for Brazil in the 2014 World Cup in his home country. However, he sat out the national team’s embarrassing 7-1 semifinals loss to eventual champions Germany due to injury.

Brazil will face Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in the group stage at this year’s World Cup.

Paris St-Germain defeated Monaco 7-1 on Sunday to win the French Ligue 1 title, but Neymar reportedly did not attend his team’s home victory. PSG also defeated Caen 3-1 in the French Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team scored three goals in nine minutes to secure a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Brazil in San Diego in a Tournament of Nations game on Sunday.

USWNT Brazil Tournament of Nations Soccer

Julie Ertz — who came on as a second-half substitute — scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute by firing home a loose ball following a scramble near the net. The 25-year-old defender was playing in her 50th cap, and is using her married name after playing as Julie Johnston.

Four minutes before Ertz’s strike, Megan Rapinoe made a fantastic running shot from a tight angle near the left side of the baseline after taking a deep lob pass from Christen Press. Rapinoe brought the ball down beautifully and in one fluid motion blasted a low effort that snuck just inside the near post to tie it 3-3. The goal was Rapinoe’s first score since June 8, 2015, during the last Women’s World Cup. The Seattle Reign midfielder had been recovering from knee surgery for much of last year.

Press, playing in her 89th cap, scored her own goal five minutes before Rapinoe, who assisted her. The Chicago Red Stars forward maneuvered around Brazilian defenders in the box and fired a shot into the upper-left corner from the left side to pull the U.S. within 3-2.

Brazil scored two minutes into the game, but Samantha Mewis tied it 1-1 in the 18th minute running onto a square pass from Rapinoe at the top of the penalty box and firing a low shot into the left corner for her first goal of 2017 and fifth of her career in 26 caps.

U.S. women’s coach Jill Ellis played with her lineup on Sunday, surprisingly switching Becky Sauerbrunn to a defensive midfielder position rather than her usual spot at center-back.

Canadian-born forward Sydney Leroux of FC Kansas City made her first appearance for the U.S. since June 30, 2015.

The U.S. Women previously fell to Australia 1-0 in their Tournament of Nations opener in Seattle on Thursday.

The Americans next face Japan on Thursday (Aug. 3) in Carson, California.

Australia leads the four-country tournament with 6 points after two victories, and the U.S. is in second place with 3 points.

The U.S. Women have won just four matches when they’ve allowed an opponent three goals, and have never lost four games at home in a single season.

Brazil defeated Uruguay 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho in a 2018 Russia World Cup qualifying game in Montevideo on Thursday.

Brazil Thrash Uruguay, Argentina Beat Chile in 2018 Russia World Cup Qualifiers

Neymar also scored for Brazil, which recovered from allowing an early penalty from Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani.

With the victory, Brazil extended their lead in the South American qualifying group to seven points. It also marked coach Tite’s seventh consecutive qualifying win since taking over from Dunga in September. The five-time FIFA World Cup champions could qualify for Russia on Tuesday by beating Paraguay, should Ecuador and Chile both fail to win.

Cavani’s goal came just seven minutes after kick-off when a mistake from Brazil defender Marcelo led goalkeeper Alisson to foul the Uruguayan forward. Cavani, a Paris Saint-Germain star, scored the penalty to record his ninth goal in South American qualifiers, more than any other player. Uruguay entered Thursday’s game having won all six of their previous home qualifiers.

Ten minutes afterwards, Paulinho — who is now playing for Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande — tied it with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, sinking the ball into goalie Martin Silva’s left corner. The game remained tied 1-1 at halftime, but Paulinho then scored seven minutes after the break.

Uruguay began launching stronger attacks to attempt to equalize, but Brazil’s defense proved too robust for the hosts. After 74 minutes of play, defender Miranda cleared from his box, Neymar beat Uruguay’s Sebastián Coates to the ball and lobbed a shot over Silva to make it 3-1.

Paulinho earned his hat-trick in stoppage time in quite an unconventional way: by pushing the ball into the goal with his chest following a Dani Alves cross.

“Not in my wildest dreams I expected something like this,” Paulinho said afterwards.

Tite admitted the game exceeded his expectations.

“I was happy about the 90 minutes,” the coach said. “Our capacity to absorb a goal against us and keep playing was based on one idea. Our team is very self-aware. We did more than controlling the match, we were dominant.”

Uruguay was missing Barcelona forward Luis Suarez, who is suspended, while Brazil played without Manchester City’s teenage forward Gabriel Jesus, who sat out with a broken toe. Brazil’s Alves will be out for Tuesday’s game against Paraguay in São Paulo, while Uruguay will travel to play Peru.

Meanwhile, Argentina beat Chile 1-0 in Buenos Aires on Thursday thanks to a 16th-minute penalty from Lionel Messi. 

With the victory, the Albiceleste is now in third place in the South American qualifying table, while Chile fell to sixth. Chile defeated Argentina in the US-hosted 2016 Copa America Centenario last summer, after which Messi initially announced he would retire from international soccer.

Just a few months ago, following their previous World Cup Qualifying game, Messi announced he and his Argentina teammates were launching a boycott against the press for the way the media has recently criticized them.

However, Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza is relieved his team managed to win the game, which he viewed as a challenging matchup.

“This was very difficult. It was like a knockout stage match.”

His Chilean counterpart, Juan Antonio Pizzi, disagreed. “I consider it totally unfair that we lost,” he said. “We managed to control the virtues of the Argentinians, and they are many. We deserved to get one goal.”

Fourth-place Colombia also won their latest match 1-0 against Bolivia thanks to a penalty, with Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez converting the kick.

Lille defender Júnior Alonso scored the winner for Paraguay as they beat fifth-placed Ecuador 2-1, while Venezuela drew 2-2 at home to Peru. Venezuela led 2-0 at half-time, but goals from André Carrillo and Paolo Guerrero earned Peru a point.

In the next round of qualifiers, Argentina will visit Bolivia, where they have not won since 2005. Chile will host Venezuela, while Colombia visit Ecuador for a key qualifier.

Bruno Fernandes de Souza, a former goalkeeper for Brazil’s Flamengo soccer club, has shocked the sport’s world after signing a two-year deal with second-division club Boa Esporte on Monday.

Brazilian Goalie Bruno, Convicted Murderer, Signs with Boa Esporte

The 32-year-old Brazilian, known as simply Bruno by most of his fans, was released from prison just last month for ordering the 2010 kidnapping, torture, and murder of his ex-girlfriend Eliza Samudio, who was also the mother of his child.

Bruno was sentenced to 22 years in jail in 2013. Samudio’s body was never recovered following her torture and murder after she was held in a shed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Bruno’s cousin told a court her dismembered body parts were fed to his teammates’ dogs.

The crime has already generated severe controversy in the country amongst soccer fans, players and others who are rightfully fretting at seeing a convicted killer take the field again.

“This is a barbaric crime,” former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said in 2010, according to The Guardian, following Bruno’s arrest. “The whole of Brazil is disgusted by such a barbaric and perverse crime.”

Bruno’s lawyers obtained his release on a habeas corpus after the slow-moving courts failed to act on his appeal. One video allegedly captured the goalie celebrating his release by drinking champagne with friends.

Boa Esporte said it was not responsible for Bruno’s release in a statement:

“Esporte Clube was not responsible for the release and freedom of the athlete Bruno,” Boa Esporte president Rone Moraes da Costa said on Facebook, according to CNN’s Marilia Brocchetto and Shasta Darlington. Da Costa added his club was “giving work to those who intend to recover.” Boa Esporte said in another Facebook post Bruno “deserves a new opportunity as a professional. … The club has no relation with Bruno’s personal actions, nor with his past, having hired only the professional.”

Bruno’s signing with the club has already been met with criticism amongst Brazilian fans and women’s rights groups, who are saying the lack of punishment dealt to a soccer star is a clear sign of the country’s still highly misogynistic culture.

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho and former Argentina international Juan Roman Riquelme are reportedly willing to come out of retirement in order to help Chapecoense, the Brazilian soccer team who lost several members in a fatal plane crash in Colombia on Monday night.

In total, 71 people–including players and coaching staff– died in the crash, and only three players survived. Gestures of solidarity and relief efforts have come in all forms across the globe: teams like Barcelona and the Cleveland Cavaliers have held a minute of silence before their games or practices, and Paris Saint-Germain as well as Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo have donated millions to the families.

Now, Ronaldinho, 36, and Riquelme, 38, are saying they are prepared to sign with the club as players and help them out during this time of great need.

Ronaldinho is currently without a club after being released by Rio-based Brazlian club Fluminense in September 2015, while Riquelme simply retired two years ago.

Ronaldinho’s agent and brother, Roberto Assis, confirmed that the former Brazil international is ready to help out the club in any way possible.

“It is a very difficult time,” Assis told Globo Esporte. “Later on, if there is a contact, we can talk. I can only say that we are here and we want to help.”

Ronaldinho was particularly affected by the death of Chapecoense right-back Matheus Bibeco, a family friend who, like Ronaldinho, also started his career at his home club Gremio.

He posted a photograph of a game he played against Matheus with a message on his Instagram account: “Go in peace Matheus! My condolences to your family! I wish them all the strength and peace going forward.”

Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, played for Paris-Saint Germain and AC Milan, and won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. He also won a Champions League with Barcelona in the 2005-2006 season.

“Ronaldinho’s name was mentioned because he’s loved and without a club,” Assis said.

“He fits the profile and can be the right guy. But at the moment, we want to help families and it wouldn’t be right to create expectations for now.

“As Brazilians, we feel involved. We are together.”

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 05: Ronaldinho of Rest of the World in action during the Soccer Aid 2016 match in aid of UNICEF at Old Trafford on June 5, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

A Spanish corruption case involving Neymar’s transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013 is sure to influence the Brazilian captain’s form, national team coach Tite stated on Monday.

Corruption Case A Complication For Neymar, Says Brazil Coach Tite

Spain’s public prosecutor last week called for the 24-year-old star forward to serve two years in prison for his part in the fraud case.

This stems from a complaint by Brazilian investment group, DIS, which owned 40 percent of Neymar’s transfer rights, and alleges it received less money than it was entitle to because Barcelona concealed the real transfer fee.

Judge Jose Perals also called for a five-year sentence for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and a fine of 8.4 million euros ($8.94 million) for the club.

The case also demanded that charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu be dropped.

Rosell, Neymar and his father are set to stand trial.

Under the Spanish legal system, prison terms of under two years are typically suspended.

“It’s a lie to say that he (Neymar) is coming to work and leaving all his problems off the field,” Tite told Reuters in an exclusive interview. “Yes, it is going to have an influence and he is going to need a group of people to advise him.

“There’s no way to disassociate (the two), it is going to depend on the capacity of the people around him to tell him to ‘stay calm’,” Tite added.

Barcelona said this month that if the trial went ahead the club would defend the innocence of all those being investigated.

Altamiro Bezerra, CEO of Neymar’s company, told Reuters on Wednesday that they were “very relaxed” because there was “nothing new” in the latest court filing to reopen the case.

Neymar, meanwhile, appeared to realized the pressure he was under when he handed back the captain’s armband after Brazil’s soccer team won in the Olympic Games in Rio in August, and said he wishes to concentrate on playing.

“He is still in the process of evolving, including maturing,” Tite said of his key player. “He will hit the peak of his career when he is 27, 28 years old.”

Barcelona struck a deal with prosecutors in June to settle a separate case, paid a £4.7m ($5.9 million) fine and avoided trial on charges of tax evasion over the transfer.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 17: Neymar of Brazil in action during the Men’s Semifinal Football match between Brazil and Honduras at Maracana Stadium on Day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)