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Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 yesterday, at the Maracana stadium to win their first Copa America in 12 years. Right-back Dani Alves was named player of the tournament. Alves left Paris Saint-Germain this summer and will certainly be sought for by many suitors after his triumphant performances at the Copa America. 36-year-old Alves replaced Neymar as Brazil's captain in May  after the forward's series of off-field controversies, including a physical attack on a fan that earned him a three-match ban by the French Football Association. Everton who  was named man of the match for the final, scored a goal and won a penalty against  Peru . He also picked up the golden boot. He shared the honor with Peru's Paolo Guerrero, both on three goals each.  Alisson , meanwhile, was awarded the golden glove for his heroics in the tournament. Dani Alves also responded to Messi's claim that the Copa had been set up for Brazil to win. Alves' response as per ESPN was:  "I do ...

Leo Messi definitely is short of luck in his international career. His Argentina career began in 2005 with him being sent off with an absurd red card in a friendly against Hungary, falsely adjudged to have thrown an elbow at a defender. 14 years later, he is sent off in equally absurd circumstances.  The first 34 minutes of the first half had been played when the incident that led to Messi's expulsion occurred. Chile’s captain, Gary Medel, shepherded out a ball near his own goal. Messi challenged him from behind and Medel reacted angrily, repeatedly charging Messi with his chest, then raising his hands. The Paraguayan referee, Mario Díaz de Vivar, then sent both Medel and Messi off with a red card each. Sergio Agüero put Argentina 1-0 ahead after 12 minutes, with Messi providing the assist. Paulo Dybala made it two 10 minutes later with a nice finish after Giovani Lo Celso had put him through on goal with a delightful, defence-splitting pass. Art...

Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero did not hesitate to hide their displeasure at the officiating of the Copa America semi-finals, which saw their side (Argentina) lose to Brazil 2-0. They could not understand why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system which had been heavily used at the tournament, considerably impacting results, was not consulted in two penalty appeals that were waved away. Uruguay had three of its goals ruled out in their quarter-final exit to Peru due to VAR, numerous goals were disapproved after lengthy VAR review stoppages in the group stage, and penalties awarded even without foul appeals, but alas, VAR was a no-show during the Argentina - Brazil game on Tuesday. Messi, who is not known for lashing out made his discontentment known without reserve.  “They were not better than us. They found the net early and the second goal came from a penalty they didn’t award,” Messi said. “The officiating was crazy. There were clear penalties, on Nicolas Otamendi,...

PSG ace/Brazil forward Neymar ruptured his ankle ligaments during a friendly between Brazil and Qatar on Wednesday, and has been ruled out of Copa America. A statement on the Brazilian football federation's website said:  “After suffering a sprain in his right ankle during last Wednesday’s game against Qatar, Neymar was evaluated and subjected to tests that confirmed ligament rupture in the ankle.  “Due to the seriousness of the injury, Neymar will not have the physical conditions and sufficient recovery time to participate in the Copa América Brasil 2019.” The 27-year-old PSG star left the Estadio Nacional field upset and was later seen leaving the premises on crutches at half time.  After the game, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Brazil, Neymar reportedly said, "Today I played one of the most difficult games of my career, if not the most difficult."  Neymar  is currently under investigation by police for rape and for publishing intimate pho...

The super talented Brazilian striker Neymar disappointed a multitude of football fans with his embarrassing theatrics at the knockout round of 16 game against Mexico. Despite scoring a goal and assisting in another, which earned Brazil a ticket to the quarter-finals, the Brazilian striker has come under heavy criticism for clearly irrelevant play-acting. He was by turns brilliant and ridiculous during the game in Samara. Neymar rolled around uncontrollably, in a dumbfounding theatrical display following slight contact from Mexico's Miguel Layun - Layun trod on Neymar's ankle in the 73rd minute. Former Denmark keeper Peter Schmeichel is one of the many who have been appalled by Neymar's behavior on the pitch throughout this World Cup. He believes FIFA should sanction Neymar's play-acting accordingly. In his post-match analysis, Schmeichel congratulated Brazil for their qualification before proceeding with a criticism of Neymar's behavior. "First of all,...