Brazil, gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, was left off the list of invitees to the Paris event this Sunday due to an irregular campaign in the South American Under-23 Championship of which not even The jewel Endrick was saved, whose future is tied to Real Madrid.
Argentina defeated Brazil with a goal from Luciano Gondou in the 78th minute, qualifying for the Games and putting another ticket on a plate for the Paraguay team, which with a draw against Venezuela in the underlying match of the last date of the South American Pre-Olympic, will be the other classified.
Brazil, which with seven titles is the top winner in this type of South American qualifying tournaments with a view to the Olympics, closed this Sunday in Caracas a campaign to be forgotten, which its coach Ramón Menezes refused to define as a failure, according to the headlines of much of the sports press in that country.
"We didn't manage to come out with a happy ending," Menezes said during a press conference after the 0-1 defeat against Argentina in Caracas, which sealed the elimination of the Canarinha and the qualification of the Albiceleste. "It's frustrating, it's unpleasant. Everyone is going to suffer here with what happened. But now we just have to lift our heads," added the coach.
Brazil chose to play this Sunday on the rival's mistake, which needed to win to qualify for the Paris Games, and risked little in attack, until Luciano Gondou conceded a goal.
Endrick, the most media-worthy of the Brazilians in the South American Pre-Olympic tournament that Venezuela organized for the first time, was not enough to straighten the course of the Verdeamarela. He left the tournament with just two goals scored, far from the five scored by the Paraguayan Diego Gómez and the Uruguayan Luciano Rodríguez.
Endrick, the Palmeiras star who must migrate to Real Madrid in July or August, today was isolated in the attack front of the Brazilian team by Javier Mascherano's pupils.
He suffered playing far away and behind the Albiceleste goal, and, to make matters worse, he lacked partners, weight, since the coach chose to do without John Kenney, the striker who gave Flumimense the goal of the 2023 Copa Libertadores title .
Brazil beat Bolivia 1-0 without convincing in the debut with a goal from Endrick. To Colombia 2-0 on the second date with a goal from him, and then to Ecuador 2-1.
Menezes' men were surprised by Venezuela, who beat them 3-1, and since then it seemed that the figure of the forward born 17 years ago in Taguatinga began to fade.
Endrick missed the opportunity to score a penalty against Paraguay in the first game of the final home run and his country lost 1-0. Against Venezuela, a goal was disallowed, but the Canarinha won with anguish and controversy 2-1.
With this Sunday's defeat against Argentina, Brazil said goodbye to the tournament with a third place that tastes like nothing, three points out of a possible nine and Endrick bitter with his first international disappointment.
