Brazil will learn from semis exit, Dunga says

Coach Dunga says Brazil’s elimination from the Copa America will serve as a learning curve ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The Selecao were knocked out of the tournament in Chile after losing a quarter-final penalty shootout to Paraguay on Saturday, reports Xinhua.

“We are all going to take a lot of lessons into the qualifiers,” Dunga said upon arriving with Brazil’s squad here on Sunday.

“Just like the Copa America, it’s going to be difficult but we can’t forget the Brazilian characteristics and we need to capitalise on our technical attributes,” Dunga, who captained Brazil to World Cup-winning campaign in 1994, added.

South America’s 25-month World Cup qualifying campaign will begin in October, with the draw to be announced on July 25.

Defender Miranda lamented Brazil’s inability to heal the psychological wounds left by their cataclysmic 1-7 World Cup semi-final loss to Germany last year.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to lift the morale of Brazilian fans,” the Atletico Madrid centreback said.

“But life goes on. Now we are thinking about working as hard as we can to do well in the qualifiers.”

Persistence lauded

Meanwhile, Argentina forward Sergio Aguero, has lauded Lionel Messi’s goalscoring persistence as they bid to win the Copa America together.

Aguero, 27, and Messi, 28, have played together for a decade internationally — at youth and senior level — winning the 2008 Olympics and the 2005 Under-20 World Cup alongside each other.

“Messi always wants to do better and when he does not score goals, he starts saying ‘I did not get lucky’,” he said on Sunday.

“But I tell him ‘Be quiet, the goals will come, you have to be patient’. Leo is always under such pressure to score goals. It is the same for me, though there are 10 other players in the team than yourself.”