Following a bizarre stalemate against Costa Rica, Brazil’s Copa America campaign got off on the wrong foot.

In their Group D opener in Los Angeles, Costa Rica managed to secure a surprising nil-all draw against the Copa America titans, despite Brazil’s abundance of possession.

Brazil had prevailed in 10 of the 11 previous encounters between the two teams, and it appeared that this pattern would persist as Brazil assumed control of the game from the moment the whistle sounded.

For the initial quarter of the match, Costa Rica’s defence remained resolute, while Brazil encountered difficulty in breaching their opponents’ defensive lines.

In the 25th minute, Brazil’s initial legitimate opportunity presented itself when Raphinha was presented with only the custodian to defeat. However, he was unable to evade a desperate defensive effort from Patrick Sequeira.

Brazil maintained its momentum by launching a barrage of shots at Costa Rica’s goal. Lucas Paqueta missed a close-range opportunity, but the pressure appeared to have been rewarded in the 29th minute when Marquinhos scored from a corner.

Nevertheless, Costa Rica was able to breathe a sigh of relief when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) determined that he was offside.

Despite taking a 75% favourable possession weight into halftime, Brazil was unable to claim a breakthrough, as they remained ensconced on Costa Rica’s goal for the remainder of the half.

In the same manner as the first half concluded, the second half commenced with Brazil’s increasing urgency to penetrate Costa Rica’s defence.

Raphinha once more came perilously close to breaking the deadlock in the 59th minute, but was unable to score after the ball ricocheted off the Costa Rica defence in the area.

In the 70th minute, Brazil’s substitution of Brazilian wunderkind Endrick to a raucous ovation appeared to provide the spark necessary to cross the line. However, Costa Rica refused to leave quietly.

Bruno Guimaraes’s final-gasp strike, which barely eclipsed the crossbar, secured the draw, allowing both teams to claim a point.