Brazil stun Argentina on penalties to win Copa
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-26 09:07

Just when it looked like Argentina would claim their unprecedented fifteenth continental championship with a 2-1 win over Brazil in the Copa America finals, Brazil equalized at the death and went on to win 4-2 in penalties.

Brazil scored in first half stoppage time and in second half stoppage time to cancel out two Argentine leads to, perhaps, undeservingly win the championship.

Brazilian Adriano(L) and Adriano Correia kiss the trophy after winning the Copa America final match against Argentina in Lima, July 25, 2004. Brazil won the match 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a tie. [Reuters]

Brazil had the first great opportunity of this epic encounter, when just a couple minutes in Adriano dribbled into the box and was clattered to the turf. But the Paraguayan referee waved play on.

Soon Argentina began threatening Julio Cesar’s goal. In the fourth minute Javier Zanetti shot low but Julio Cesar knocked it out for a corner. Then Juan Pablo Sorin’s header went right at Julio Cesar.

Brazil went right back down with two dangerous attempts but failed on both tries to beat Julio Cesar’s counterpart, Roberto Abbondanzieri.

On thirteen Mauro Rosales flashed wide of Julio Cesar’s post inside the Brazilian area, but it was less then ten minutes later that the Albiceleste were celebrating the opener.

A poor pass by Maicon allowed Argentina to penetrate the top of the box, and Luis Gonzalez beat Luisao to the ball to draw a penalty. Kily Gonzalez powered the penalty past Julio Cesar with his left foot.

Five minutes later Julio Cesar was called into action again, to turn aside Lucho Gonzalez’s low shot for a corner after the Brazilian defense watched the River Plate man waltz between them.

Just after the half hour Kleberson picked out Alex’s run perfectly but the Cruzeiro midfielder made a mess of his header with Abbondanzieri’s goal a big target.

But Luisao leveled in first half stoppage time for the Auriverde, heading Alex’s free kick past the helpless goalkeeper.

Five minutes into the second half Rosales sent a cross onto the back post, and all Carlos Tevez had to do was touch it past the keeper. But the young Boca starlet only succeeded in knocking the ball off the post and out of bounds.

On 62 minutes Zanetti had a shot blocked out by Gustavo Nery inside the area, and Felipe replaced the ineffective Alex for Carlos Alberto Parreira on the next dead ball with all credit due to Argentina’s Javier Mascherano.

But Marcelo Bielsa countered with Cesar Delgado in place of Mauro Rosales to give Argentina’s attack a fresh look, and the Albiceleste wave continued to crash the Brazilian penalty area.

Roberto Ayala got his head on a corner, but it landed on top of the goal. Then Kily Gonzalez was bodied off the ball from 10 yards after Lucho Gonzalez’s incisive one-touch. Next Tevez shot right at Julio Cesar from 19 yards to keep Brazil just hanging on.

With twelve minutes left in regulation Cris replaced defender Luisao, who simply was not himself after taking a knock to the head in the second half and left the stadium by ambulance.

Three minutes from time Brazil cracked under the intense Argentine pressure. Renato whiffed on a ball in the area, and Delgado was there to pounce. The Cruz Azul striker touched and then volleyed the ball past Julio Cesar into the far left corner from twelve yards, thus rewarding Bielsa’s faith.

The next few minutes were spent having Brazil hack away at Argentina, whilst the Albiceleste tried to kill the clock.

But at the absolute death of regulation Adriano managed to latch onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area, and lashed the ball past Abbondanzieri to stun the Albiceleste and send the championship to a cruel penalty shootout.

Against Uruguay in Wednesday’s semifinal Brazil did not miss once from the spot, and after Julio Cesar saved Andres D’Alessandro’s first shot for Argentina Brazil went to work.

Adriano and Edu sandwiched Brazilian scores around Gabriel Heinze’s balloon over the bar. Kily Gonzalez finally got Argentina on the board in the third round, but Diego and Juan converted in succession for Brazil to give the Selecao their seventh continental championship.

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