Has Vinícius Júnior been suspended for Brazil’s Copa América?

Brazil and Colombia met Tuesday night in a battle for top spot in Group D. A win for Brazil would put them on top of the group, but any other result would guarantee Colombia top spot and an easier draw in the quarter-finals.

Raphinha gave Brazil the lead in a tight game that saw countless fouls, many of which were in the fierce battle between Raphinha and Deiver Machado on Brazil’s right wing. However, it was Vinicius Junior, who got into disciplinary troublecatching James Rodriguez with an errant hand early in the game. Vinicius was booked for a foul, his second of the tournament so far.

That second yellow card was enough to earn him a one-match suspension. Vini will not play in the quarter-final match of the Brazilian national teambut he will be back in the game in the semi-finals. If Brazil gets that far.

Why doesn’t Vinícius Júnior play for the Brazilian national team?

Given his incredible talent, Vini’s record of five goals in 33 games for Brazil is a bit of a letdown. The Real Madrid man is a real scoring threat in LaLiga but has failed to replicate that for his country.

“Every time I step onto the pitch for the national team, I have three or four players to cover me.“said Vinicius earlier this week, reflecting on his struggles against Brazil.

“A new coach, new players, everything takes time. Our fans want everything done immediately, but we’re doing it little by little. We’ll definitely play much better in the next match because we already understand how the competition will be, what the pitch will be like and what the referees will be like. We know we can improve, we have to improve. I also know what I can improve, develop and do for our team.”

With Neymar out for the entire tournament, the pressure was on Vinicius – and, to a lesser extent, Rodrygo Goes – to replace Brazil’s all-time leading scorer. Results under new coach Dorival Junior were mixed, with Brazil uncharacteristically low on goals in their opening two games of the tournament.