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Magic player Denilson saves Brazil in Copa America
CALI, Colombia (AP) -- Brazil's uneven play in the Copa America has divided fans, but one thing everyone seems to agree on: Denilson is special. The Betis striker saved his team again on Wednesday, coming off the bench to replace Ewerthon and leading Brazil's 3-1 comeback victory over Paraguay to qualify for the quarterfinals. Denilson scored a goal, set up the other two and dismantled the vaunted Paraguayan defense with his speed and dribbling skill. Colombians rendered homage to the Brazilian's performance. "Denilson added the touch of magic," read a headline in El Tiempo, Colombia's biggest newspaper. "How can we forget what Denilson did?" said El Pais. "Denilson was brilliant, pure soccer, pure goal ... What a player!" Back home, the reaction was similar. "Brazil keeps going. Thanks to Denilson," wrote Jornal do Brasil of Rio de Janeiro. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he was considering making Denilson a starter in Brazil's next match on Monday, especially if Ewerthon is still hurt. STAYING PUT Brazil is in no hurry to leave for its quarterfinal date in the Copa America. The Brazilian team plans to stay in this southern city and arrive at the stadium in Manizales just 90 minutes before game time on Monday. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said the idea was to minimize any possible ill effects from the altitude in the Andean city, more than a mile-and-a-half (2,500 meters) above sea level. Brazil played its three first-round matches in Cali, in the Cauaca Valley about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. "In Cali we felt great, and this continues to be our base," Scolari said. LESSER OF EVILS Chile is delighted to be playing Mexico in the quarterfinals of the Copa America -- especially considering the alternative. "Facing Mexico is always better than facing Brazil," said striker Cristian Montecinos, the team's leading scorer with three goals. Chile escaped an encounter with the four-time World Cup champions when Brazil scored twice in the final minutes to beat Paraguay 3-1 on Sunday and finish first in Group B, dropping Mexico to second. Chile was second in Group A. "But we're not overconfident," Montecinos added, noting that Mexico beat Brazil 1-0, although it later tied 0-0 with Paraguay and lost 1-0 to Peru. "We're glad to know who our second-round rival is," defender Ricardo Rojas said. "That gives us more time to adjust our strategy against a tough team, because you never know how they're coming." Chile will be without injured defender Moises Villarroel and striker Edgar Corrales, as well as midfielder Pablo Galdamez, who will sit out a one-game suspension. PAYBACK TIME Peru's 1-0 victory over Mexico did more than boost the team into the quarterfinals of the Copa America. It got a 23-year-old monkey off their backs. The last time Peru had beaten Mexico was on April 11, 1978. And the end of the jinx was fittingly commemorated. "We shook off a ghost," the Lima newspaper El Comercio said. "Curse broken," trumpeted the sporting daily El Bocon. Peru's goalie, Oscar Ibanez, said the victory was special for another reason. "The truth is, we had a thorn in our sides with the Mexicans," he said. "They were the ones that eliminated us from the last Copa America, in penalty kicks." CRUNCH TIME For Mexico coach Javier Aguirre, the first round of the Copa America was a "laboratory" to test his young crew. Now, the experiments are over. Aguirre, who used all of his 22 players in the first round, promised to use his best in the quarterfinals against Chile. "The first phase was a like filter for me," he said. "Now the goal is to beat Chile. This is a stage when you can't speculate." But Mexico will have to face the Chileans without its top -- and only -- scorer. Jared Borgetti, who tallied the game-winner in a 1-0 victory against Brazil, was suspended in Mexico's 1-0 loss to Peru on Wednesday and will miss the next game.
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