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Brazil have qualified for the final of the Copa America for the first time since 2007 when they beat Argentina in the final. The hosts have continued their unbeaten streak over Argentina, as they have not lost a major competitive fixture against their bitter rivals since 2005.
The eight-time champions had some bad memories of the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte. This was the stadium where Brazil had suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat in the semifinal of the 2014 World Cup. The tears of that night were replaced with joy last night, as Brazil beat their rivals by a margin of 2-0.
The loss for Argentina extends Lionel Messi's wait for an International trophy. On the other hand, Brazil has a chance to win their first Copa America title in 12 years, where they will meet Peru. The two-time winners of the competition reached the final by beating Chile in the semifinal. While Peru won't be pushovers, let us look at the reasons that make Brazil favourites for the final.
#1 Form of Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker is one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now. The Brazilian goalkeeper came into this tournament on the back of a stellar season for Liverpool. The 26-year-old looked solid as he was able to keep a clean sheet against an Argentina team which has world-class forwards like Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi.
Alisson won the golden glove award in both Premier League and Champions League. The Brazilian has the chance to achieve the unique feat of winning golden glove in the Premier League, Champions League, and Copa America.
The Liverpool No.1 has kept five clean sheets in this tournament as he is yet to concede a goal in this edition of the Copa America. Alisson has now kept nine clean sheets in a row for club and country, and he would be hoping for another clean sheet in the final.
#2 A solid defence
Brazil has been fantastic defensively as they have seemed to be impregnable throughout the tournament. The hosts have not conceded even a single goal in this edition of the Copa America and the defence must be credited for that.
At the start of the tournament, some critics noted that Brazilian defence is too old, and due to this they could struggle against quality forwards. The hosts' defence is led by Dani Alves, who is 36 but he has not shown any signs of slowing down. Felipe Luis, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, and Dani Alves started each of the first four matches and they seemed to share a good understanding among themselves.
Felipe Luis missed the semifinal against Argentina, but his replacement Alex Sandro looked competent enough to fill the void left with him. So even if Felipe Luis is not able to be fit enough to play the final, Brazilian back four would be fancying their chances of keeping yet another clean sheet.
#3 Resurgence under Tite
Brazilian football seemed to have hit the rock bottom when they even failed to qualify for the knockouts of 2016 Copa America Centenario. After a poor start to the world cup qualifying campaign, Brazilian appointed Tite at the helm and it proved to be a masterstroke.
The Brazilian manager prioritized functionality over swagger, a move which helped Brazil in building one of their defensive setups in the last few decades. Under the management of Tite, Brazil has just lost two of 42 matches which is an incredible return.
Tite's defensive structure is very difficult to break, as the back four is shielded by Casemiro. This defensive solidity has helped Brazil to keep a clean sheet in every match of this year's competition. The solid defence gives license to the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, and Roberto Firmino to put pressure on the opposition defence. If everything goes to plan in the final, Brazil could be lifting the trophy after a 12 year wait.
