Is Vinícius Júnior banned from Brazil’s Copa América?

Brazil and Colombia battled it out for the top spot in Group D on Tuesday evening. A win would put Brazil at the top of the group, anything else would secure Colombia first place and an easier draw in the quarter-finals.

Raphinha put Brazil ahead in a heated match that saw countless fouls, many of them related to a fierce battle between Raphinha and Deiver Machado on the Brazilian right flank. Vinicius Junior, who got into disciplinary problemswhen he caught James Rodriguez with a stray arm in the early stages. Vinicius received a yellow card for the foul, his second of the tournament so far.

This second yellow card was enough to earn him a game suspension. Vini will therefore miss the quarter-final match for Brazilbut will compete again in the semi-finals if Brazil makes it that far.

Why doesn’t Vinícius Júnior play for Brazil?

Given his incredible talent, Vini’s record of five goals in 33 games for Brazil is somewhat disappointing. The Real Madrid player is a top scorer in LaLiga, but he has not been able to repeat this for the national team.

“Every time I go on the field for the national team, I am covered by three or four players”, Vinicius said earlier this week regarding his difficulties in Brazil.

“New coach, new players, everything takes time. Our fans want everything to be done immediately, but we are taking things step by step. We will definitely play much better in the next game because we already know what the competition will be like, what the pitch will be like and what the referees will be like.” We know that we can improve, that we need to improve. I also know what I can improve, develop and do for our team..”

With Neymar out injured for the duration of the tournament, the pressure is on Vinicius – and to a lesser extent Rodrygo Goes – to replace Brazil’s all-time record goalscorer. Results under new coach Dorival Junior have been mixed, with Brazil unusually low on goals in their first two games of the tournament.