For the Brazilian team to lose this game, the Brazilian domestic media is almost like the Brazilian team has lost the championship, and the Brazilian team is criticized.

Except for Fabiano, who scored the goal, the rest of the players were brought out for criticism.

"Brazil lost to Paraguay and now have to start a 2,000-kilometer trip". The newspaper Reims Sport begins its description of the game with such a statement. The so-called "Brazil three" of Reims Sport is aimed at Pereira's large number of substitutes in this game. Commentators have always believed that the Brazilian team going to the Copa America this time is at best a "Brazilian second team", and now Pereira has to send a substitute to play, then this Brazilian team can only be a "Brazilian third team".

The phrase "2,000 kilometres" means that if Brazil win Paraguay in their final group game to top the group, it will only take about three hours to travel from Arequipa, where they are currently based, to Tacna, the quarter-final venue for top of Group C and third place in Group B. However, now Brazil are unfortunate to finish second in Group C, and the price they pay for this is a 2,000km run.

From the end of the tournament to 18 July, the Brazilian national team had to travel across the narrow Peruvian continent, from Arequipa in the south to Piura in the far north, a distance of exactly 2,000 kilometers. If they win in the quarters, they will have to travel 1,200 kilometres south to the capital Lima for the semi-finals. This schedule is an extremely demanding test of fitness, and the uncompetitive Brazilian lads will have to accept it.

Pereira was frustrated by the team's defeat, who had hoped to celebrate his upcoming 30th anniversary with a group finish, but did not want to see a helpless defeat.

In his post-match press conference, Pereira, who has been defending his national team since the formation of the team, finally couldn't help himself, and he took aim at the nonchalant players: "This game should be a cautionary lesson, and it would be unforgivable if there were such mistakes in the quarter-finals. ”

The implication is that if there is someone who is not focused and does not show good looks in the quarter-finals against Mexico, they will be left out of his national team in the short term.

The match against Mexico was undoubtedly a tough battle for Brazil.

Looking at the latest battle record, it seems hard to believe that in the last 5 meetings, the Brazilian team has been hard to win; In recent years, Brazil, the five-time World Cup champions, have lost to Mexico three times in a row: the Confederations Cup in 1999, the Copa America in 2001 and the Gold Cup in 2003. Of course, Brazil did not field the strongest team in these games, but Brazil also missed the big names in this Copa America in Peru.

But Pereira was not convinced, saying: "We have lost to Mexico in other competitions, but that doesn't mean Mexico can't lose to us, that history is over. ”

Brazil played just one good game in the group stage, and that was a win over Costa Rica. The other two games were not ideal, including a last-minute win over Chile. Pereira blames this on the influence of the plateau of Arequipa, a city with an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level. He said: "Here, when you run, your blood vessels are swollen and your face is red. After that, it was fine, we went down to the plains and could play against the Mexican team at the best level. ”

There are also many players who hold this view, and they all think that the Arequipa Plateau is hindering the team's performance. Roberto Mancini Jr., who plays for Roma, said: "We had a lot of difficulties at Arequipa and now we can play well, there's no doubt about that. ”

Ricardo made no excuses. 'We weren't good enough before, so we lost, so there's no need to talk about it. Against Mexico, we will show the attitude of going into the final. 5 games without a win? That's history. And now, we are a new Brazilian national team and we will write a new history. ”

Pereira described his opponents as follows: "The Mexican team is like a cobra that hides in inconspicuous places and will bite you with a cold squeeze. ”

Mexico coach Lavolpe shot back: "Brazil is not as good as Argentina, Argentine players have better individual skills than Brazil, we have all beaten. If we keep training like we are, we can play a great game. ”

Lavolpe also compared Brazil and Argentina on another occasion, saying: "The Brazilian squad is not comparable to Argentina, which has Saviola and Dalessandro and is the strongest team in this Copa America for me. And we won them. Against Brazil, we only need a small adjustment to show the brilliance of the game against Argentina. ”

Ahead of this match, Brazil's battle up front was also a focus of media attention. Three strikers have now scored in the competition, with Adriano scoring four, Ricardo scoring one in each of the two games, and Fabiano also netting a goal in his only start.

All three players have the potential to be a mainstay for Brazil. But Pereira, who is clearly unlikely to switch to a striker-three, is a fan of the 442 formation and shouted before this tournament: "...... I want those supporters of 433, 343 and 352 to know that it is time for these formations to be swept into the dustbin of history, and 442 represents the present and future of football. ”

Of course, Ricardo could drop back to play left midfield, or replace Alex, but that would be a waste of Ricardo's scoring ability.

In his pre-match press conference, Pereira expressed ambiguity: "We have the best striker in the world and I believe whoever comes on will bring us the victory. I choose the starting line-up based on how the players are in training. ”

'Adriano is strong, smart in front of goal, the years of training in Serie A have made him improve so fast, I believe he can become one of the best strikers in the world.'

"Ricardo is only 18 years old, and I'm sure you've all heard it countless times, and I'll repeat it again and again: he has a bright future. I will use him carefully and rationally to help him grow. ”

'Fabiano has been very efficient in scoring goals in Sao Paulo this season, so I brought him into the national team and I'm sure he can bring something different to us.'

When Pereira was interviewed, Ricardo was in a small café in the city of Piura, chatting with a guest he didn't expect.