July 3 (Reuters) – CONMEBOL said the referee and VAR made a mistake in not awarding Brazil a penalty during Tuesday’s 1-1 group stage draw with Colombia when defender Daniel Munoz brought down Vinicius Jr inside the area.
The play occurred in the 42nd minute of the Group D first-place match at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara with Brazil leading 1-0 against Colombia and Vinicius racing into the area from the left before being brought down by Muñoz.
The Brazilian players asked for a penalty, but Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela did not call a foul and the VAR, directed by Argentine Mauro Vigliano, confirmed the decision after considering that Muñoz had touched the ball.
“In a dispute for the ball inside the penalty area, a defender does not touch the ball,” CONMEBOL said in a video released Wednesday.
“As a result, contact occurs that is not reasonable for the action. The referee does not observe the action and allows play to continue.
“The VAR does not identify that the defender did not touch the ball before recklessly touching the Brazilian striker. Therefore, the VAR incorrectly confirms the original decision on the field.”
The mistake was costly for Dorival Jr.’s team, who needed a victory to take first place in the group from their CONMEBOL rival.
Brazil will face Group C leaders Uruguay in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
“After that, we conceded a goal. The referee was decisive. Only he and the VAR did not see a penalty, which surely there was,” said the Brazilian coach after the match.
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Report by Janina Nuno Ríos in Mexico City
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