Many would have expected a routine win and a jubilant mood in Salvador on Tuesday. However, when the final whistle brought a dramatic 90 minutes to a close, the Arena Fonte Nova broke out into a cacophony of boos and insults as the home team Brazil slumped to an unfortunate stalemate in only the second game of their 2019 Copa America campaign.
Brazil wore a much improved look than when they faced Bolivia and put Venezuela on the backfoot from the start itself. However, it was Venezuela that had the best chance of the first half when their all-time highest goal scorer Solomon Randon fired his header just inches wide from the target past a beaten Alisson.
Roberto Firmino's first half effort hit the back of the net, seven minutes before half-time, but was ruled out for a foul.
In the 87th minute, Coutinho was wheeling away in celebration after he stabbed home a finish that resulted from a supreme left wing sprint from Everton Soares, but the referee disallowed the goal after VAR alerted him to a disputable infringement by Firmino, although the player wasn't obviously offside when the ball brushed past him on the way to the net. The lanky Merseyside frontman was kept quiet through much of the game as Venezuela's stubborn defensive setup had a memorable day walking away with a clean sheet against a star-studded Brazil.
With Richarlison making way for Jesus in the second half, the pacy winger brought some much needed zing into the Brazillian attack. His introduction seemed to have paid dividends when he buried a Firmino cross past Venezuela's keeper when approaching the hour-mark. But the ecstatic fans eventually fell flat as VAR intervened to slap the score back to all-square after ruling Firmino offside when he collected the ball.
Brazil were left to rue the host of chances they wasted through out the game on a forgetful Salvador night as the Venezuelan defence stood tall despite unrelenting Brazilian attacks. The Canaries have plenty to prove when they take on a confident Peru on Sunday as they look to wrap up their group stage campaign with a convincing win that would satisfy fans and pundits alike.
