BARCELONA team-mates turned on each other as Brazil were knocked out of the Copa America on penalties in an ugly defeat against Uruguay.
Uruguay edged Brazil 4-2 in a penalty shootout on Saturday after going down to 10 men in a bruising 0-0 draw in Las Vegas.
In a savage clash with 41 fouls, players from both sides were quick to get physical.
Endrick stepped into the lineup due to Vinicius Jr’s suspension and his aggressive style quickly saw him come head to head with Ronald Araujo.
And an early challenge saw the 17-year-old Real Madrid ace foul the Barcelona star.
The defender retaliated and shoved the youngster to the ground.
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But the spat didn’t end there as Brazil skipper Raphinha – who is also team-mates with Araujo at Barca – shoved the Uruguay star before the referee stepped in and gave both players a stern talking to, keeping his cards in his pocket.
Araujo ended up finishing his game early after he was taken off with an injury after 30 minutes.
Uruguay then lost Nahitan Nandez to a red card on a VAR review, which reduced their side to 10 men for the final stages of the second half.
But Marcelo Bielsa’s side were able to take the game all the way to penalties – where they prevailed 4-2.
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Bielsa told reporters: “Everything that happens, happens Uruguayan style, because the players are the ones that give their all to the team.
“It was a match with very little goal opportunities, highly contested, very close, even with very little changes in possession.
“When we were one man down, we decided to dedicate ourselves to defending in our half.
“So holding on to that result as the Uruguayan team did shows the profile of Uruguayan football. And they were very calm in the penalty shootout that demands not only accuracy but also character.”
For Brazil, it is a second straight quarter-final exit via penalties in a major tournament following their 2022 World Cup defeat to Croatia.
Endrick said: “We want to put Brazil at the top, we will continue working and preparing for the World Cup (qualifiers).
“We know that this is a difficult moment, but we hope to have the support of all Brazilians.”
Uruguay now head into the semi-finals of the Copa America where they will face Colombia.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk