Thread by @FUTVEEnglish

|Brazil vs. Venezuela|#CopaAmerica|
- Match Thread

José Peseiro names a 5-4-1 for the competition opener. The 7-man bench contains 2 goalkeepers and the starting XI sees four players make their full international debuts. In 26 games between the two, 🇧🇷 have won 22 & scored 90.

In the history of the tie, Venezuela have achieved 3 draws and just 1 win, scoring a total of 8 goals. The last Copa América tie with Brazil finished 0-0. Today, that would be a miracle.

Viewers in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 can watch the game (10pm KO) on @BBCSport or the @BBCiPlayer. #CopaAmerica

Brazil go with the starting XI reported by Brazilian media outlet Globo yesterday. The hosts have no intention of going gently on their severely impacted opponents it seems.

José Peseiro has stayed level-headed in pre-match press conferences, promising 300% from Venezuela.

The national anthem is played before every Liga FUTVE game, but you rarely see players singing along. Well, they certainly sung along to that - and in an empty stadium, you could hear every word! Kick off is imminent. #vinotinto

1': Here we go! Buckle in. It almost certainly won't be boring! Vamos Vinotinto! 0-0. #vinotinto

4': Alexander Gonzalez tries to hold off two Brazil players concurrently, loses possession, and concedes a freekick. It's cleared away and Brazil are back in possession around the halfway line. 0-0. #vinotinto

9': Venezuela are doing a very good job at surrounding individual Brazilian players in possession rapidly. It's a tough tactic to maintain for a full 90.

Neymar provides a great through ball to Richarlison whose toe poke is smartly saved by Graterol. 0-0. #vinotinto

11': Aristeguieta is down under a heavy challenge from Eder Militao. No foul is given but the referee does stop play, restarting with a drop ball. 0-0. #vinotinto

13': The captain is back up but Bernaldo Manzano is now down. Paqueta clattered into the back of him rather unnecessarily. 0-0. #futve

16': Venezuela win a corner. Jose Martinez does the hard work after a great ball down the line. He bundles into the box and his attempted cross wins the set piece. Cristian Casseres Jr's delivery is caught by Alisson. 0-0. #vinotinto

19': Danilo smashes an aesthetic effort goalbound and Graterol matches it for artistry with an easy diving catch. Looked like it could have been a bit Pavard 2018 for a moment. 0-0. #vinotinto

22': Goal Brazil.

Scruffy, scruffy finish. Richarlison gets his head to the cross and it falls at the tangled feet of Marquinhos and Cumana. It's the Brazilian who untangles them first to kick it across the line. 1-0. #vinotinto

25': Richarlison beats Graterol to the cross in from the left and his effort hits the back of the net. As it does so, the linesman raises his flag for offside. No goal. 1-0. #vinotinto

29': Neymar cuts in from the left and fires towards the bottom corner with his right. It goes wide of the post, however. They're very comfortable and very much in control. Venezuela aren't disorganised, though. 1-0. #vinotinto

32': Both Aristeguieta and Manzano got back up from their knocks. Jose Martinez is down after a blow to the knee, hopefully he gets up, too.

He does. Good. 1-0. #vinotinto

34': The BBC commentary reels off the Venezuela stars missing from tonight's line-up due to injury and COVID, "Soteldo, Otero, Josef Martinez, Yangel Herrera, Rincon."
You can add Osorio, Villanueva, Chancellor, Angel, Ferraresi, Rosales, Savarino, Machis, & Rondon to that, too.

37': Richarlison lobs Graterol. With the ball heading in, La Mantia scoops it away. The flag was up, though. Richarlison was offside. 1-0. #vinotinto

39': Cristian Casseres, #23, stands over the freekick 45 yards out. It's well delivered into the box and met with a Vinotinto head. Easily caught by Alisson. 1-0. #vinotinto

40': Neymar isn't happy with being bodychecked by Jose Martinez. Jose Martinez doesn't care. 1-0. #vinotinto

45': Two minutes added on. Venezuela are deep in Brazil's half at the start of those 120 seconds. Corner won. 1-0. #vinotinto

HT: Brazil 1-0 Venezuela|

Only a scuffed goal by PSG centre back Marquinhos separates the sides at the break. The makeshift back five of Venezuela are digging deep and defending with plenty of effort. Admirable performance, to be honest.

53': Nice fact from the BBC commentary: Brazil have hosted the Copa America six times and won the last five of them.

Neymar's just narrowly missed latching onto a cross at the back post. Any contact would have taken the ball across the line. 1-0. #vinotinto

58': Venezuela win another corner. Casseres goes across to take once more.

It makes its way towards Aristeguieta but a Brazilian head intercepts. Venezuela keep the pressure up before Cumana plays the ball out. 1-0. #vinotinto

61': Penalty Brazil.

Seems mightily unfair in real time. Replays show it is the right decision. Cumana clips the heels of Danilo. VAR checking it nonetheless. 1-0. #vinotinto

64': Goal Brazil.

Neymar scores on his 106th appearance, goal number 67. He starts his run up from outside the box, trots and stutters towards it, and sends Graterol the wrong way. Gabigol about to come on, too. 2-0. #vinotinto

75': Sergio Cordova and Richard Celis await to come on from the subs bench.

And now they will. Peseiro issuing some instructions as the changes take place. Off comes Aristeguieta and Manzano. Celis is currently the joint-leading scorer in Liga FUTVE with six. 2-0. #futve

83': Neymar dances through several Venezuelan players mid one-two with Gabigol before firing his shot into the side-netting. Corner given for what must have been the slightest of touches.

Edson Castillo on for Casseres. 2-0. #vinotinto

88': Goal Brazil.

Gabigol chests the ball into an empty net after Neymar rounded Joel Graterol who had little choice but to come off his line and confront a very well released Neymar. 3-0. #vinotinto

90': Three minutes added on. 3-0. #vinotinto

FT: Brazil 3-0 Venezuela|

A respectful loss for Venezuela. Until the 88th minute, they had only conceded from a corner & penalty. They have over 13 absentees from their preliminary squad, 8 new COVID cases in the past 48 hours, and La Mantia only arrived in Brazil last night.