In the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América, Uruguay defeated Brazil in a penalty shootout to advance to the semi-finals. During the match, Brazil’s Militão and Douglas Luiz missed crucial penalties, while only Giménez missed for Uruguay, ultimately eliminating their opponents.
After the game, Uruguayan veteran Luis Suárez hit back at former Manchester United star Andrés Pereira’s pre-match remarks. Pereira had declared that Brazil’s victory was a certainty, stating their strength was far superior to their opponents.
Pereira had said at a pre-match press conference that Uruguayans would love to have a squad like Brazil’s. “We have a very good midfield. Everyone plays in the Premier League. If we compare names individually, we have the edge. Uruguayans dream of having a team like ours.”
Suárez responded in a post-match interview: “We have the best midfielders and top players in the world. When people talk about Uruguay, they should show respect, you should know Uruguay’s football history.”
He further added: “I want to say that the one who made these comments was just Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s substitute at Flamengo, yet he speaks on behalf of Brazilian football. You can imagine how we felt when we heard these comments.”
Andrés Pereira currently plays for Fulham, having spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Flamengo, scoring 7 goals in 39 appearances. However, in the 2021 Copa Libertadores final, his mistake led to Flamengo’s defeat to Palmeiras. Despite this, he successfully made amends a year later, helping the team win the 2022 Copa Libertadores and the 2022 Brazilian Cup.
After Brazil’s elimination, Pereira clarified his remarks: “I simply felt that Brazil had greater overall strength, their players were of higher quality, so they had a greater chance of winning. But this was in no way disrespectful to Uruguay.”
The Copa América semi-finals are about to begin, with the first clash between defending champions Argentina and Canada, while Uruguay will face Colombia the following day.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/copa-america/10469.html
