Copa America: Alisson calls for focus from Brazil

Brazil was worthy winner against Paraguay but cannot afford to rest on its laurels, according to penalty shoot-out hero Alisson.

Published : Jun 28, 2019 13:50 IST

Star goalkeeper Alisson urged Brazil to quickly turn its attention to the Copa America semifinals following a "deserved" victory over Paraguay on penalties in Porto Alegre.

Brazil squeezed into the final four with a 4-3 shoot-out triumph after failing to make its chances count during a goalless 90 minutes. Liverpool's Alisson kept out the opening spot-kick from Gustavo Gomez and later watched as Derlis Gonzalez put his attempt the wrong side of the post.

REPORT | BRA 0-0 PAR (4-3 PEN)

The host nation will face rival Argentina in a blockbuster semifinal tie if Lionel Messi's men overcome Venezuela on Friday. "My team-mates did their part, which was the most important part," Alisson said after the match.

'Very confident'

"We were very confident. The team deserved to win today. The result was a draw, but only one team wanted to play. Now we have to keep working, because one step is done and we have another ahead to our achieve our main objective, which is to be champions."

Read | Tite slams state of Arena do Gremio pitch

Roberto Firmino's failure to convert in the shoot-out enabled fellow forward Gabriel Jesus to grab a share of the headlines with the winner, the Manchester City man making amends for his miss from the spot against Peru during the group stage. "I was confident. I hit it my own way and managed to score," Jesus said.

'Calm, cold'

"In the previous game I got upset because I did not hit it my way. I think it was a little anxiety. I live to play football, to score goals and in the moment the anxiety disturbed me. Today, I hit it my way, calm, cold. I saw the goalkeeper moving to the left and just chipped it the other side."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment