captain of Brazilian team in men’s football in the dispute of Tokyo Olympics, right-back Daniel Alves said he “has doubts” about the expulsion of defensive midfielder Douglas Luiz in today’s match (25), against Ivory Coast. With one player less for 70 minutes, Brazil tied for 0 to 0 and has not yet guaranteed its classification in Group D.
“I don’t believe that the sending-off made our game proposal difficult. We managed to put the best chances, the best chances to score, even with one less. These are game circumstances and we have to overcome the game’s circumstances. I still have my doubts if it was a bid for expulsion or not, but it’s part of the game. We have to value the great work we’ve done today,” the experienced full-back told “TV Globo”.
Douglas Luiz was sent off in the 13th minute of the first half after a foul on Youssouf Dao near the edge of the area. The defensive midfielder himself failed to dominate midfield, conceded the counterattack and brought down the Ivorian. Referee Ismael Elfath showed a yellow card, but later had the help of video refereeing and switched to red. Brazilian fans complained about the decision.
Côte d’Ivoire had Kouassi sent off 34 minutes into the second half, which made Brazil play 70 minutes with one player less. Even so, it was a game of technical imposition by the team led by André Jardine, which ended with eight submissions against six of the Africans, in addition to 56% of possession.
Brazil closes participation in the first phase of the Olympic Games on Wednesday (28), at 5:00 am, in Saitama, against Saudi Arabia. The team is the leader of Group D with the same four points as Côte d’Ivoire, but one more goal over the balance.
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