The Brazil of old are long gone and this generation lacks identity: Winners and losers as the Selecao exit Copa America on penalties to Uruguay in lifeless display

Who says Bielsa can't win big games? The legendary manager has a surprisingly poor record in knockout football - a coach ultimately more effective for his tactical principles than individual game management. But here he got everything right - and was vindicated in doing so. Bielsa ensured that this was a truly miserable contest for Brazil. He was happy for his team to fly into tackles - and they obliged. They clattered Endrick, chipped at Rodrygo, and ensured that Lucas Paqueta didn't have room to think.

26 times, to be exact.

But he also devised a diligent press, and at least attempted to piece together some interesting counter-attacking sequences. Indeed, cleaner finishing from Darwin Nunez - and a bit more composure elsewhere - would have seen his side win this one comfortably in 90 minutes. It wasn't pretty, but Bielsa realized he was outmatched for individual quality here, and pieced together a plan to ensure that his team stayed in it right until the end. Job done.

The Ballon d'Or, should it be considered relevant, is reliant on much more than club football. Indeed, if it was an award dictated entirely by the 40+ games of a grueling domestic season, then Vinicius should run away with this year's rather comfortably.

However, it is not so simple.

International competitions matter immensely, and Vinicius won't get any credit for this one. He was suspended in their most important match, and could only watch as his team toiled through the contest. It might have been a frustrating sight for the winger, sat high in the stands behind Joel Embiid, to see his team so devoid of attacking ideas.

This was an ugly game, but Vinicius is one of the few players in world football who could have perhaps broken it open. Instead, he was forced to look on as his country fell apart.

His award hopes are now dependent on the performances of others. His main rival, Jude Bellingham, could be in line for a deep Euro 2024 run - which would seem to rather hamper his chances. England have advanced to the semifinals of their respective competition, while the Selecao couldn't even manage that. There is surely a Ballon d'Or in Vinicius' future. But this year's might just have slipped away.

How do you define "sh*thousery?" Well, a look at Manuel Ugarte's performance here might be a good start. The Uruguayan pieced together an evil, yet immensely effective, showing in the middle of the park. A perfect "dark arts" performance to tie up a quarterfinal win.

First, the bad. He completed just one dribble, put one shot wildly off target, and played just 28 passes all game. But those stats don't tell much, if any, of the story. Ugarte dominated the midfield by virtue of scrappiness alone. He committed six fouls, and got away with countless others. He could have been sent off for second yellows on numerous occasions, and spent most of the evening getting in the referee's face.

But when the time came, he was as calm as anyone on the pitch, tucking home the winning penalty past Brazil's Alisson to secure a historic win. This was by no means a pretty outing, but it was the exact kind of showing Uruguay needed.

The perfect villain.

With Vinicius out and Endrick kept quiet, the Selecao needed someone to step up. That man figured to be Rodrygo, who has shown in the last 18 months for Real Madrid that he can be a game-changing attacking presence - especially in big contests.

And all of the pieces were in place here. Rodrygo was deployed on the wing, matched up against a somewhat reckless opponent, with the kind of defensive cover behind him to allow him the freedom to create. But when the pressure piled out, Rodrygo collapsed.

He managed just 42 touches, and a mere two in the Uruguay box. He completed only 12 passes, and failed to put a shot on target. His only major influence, in fact, was to bait the reckless Nahitan Nandez into a silly red card. There will be other nights for the Madrid man, who is still just 23. But his team needed him here, and he fell flat.

When will a Brazil manager get it right? The Selecao have endured something resembling chaos in the dugout for 18 months now, employing three managers since the end of the 2022 World Cup. Tite failed to deliver success in Qatar, and has been succeeded - twice - by managers with hefty Brazilian top flight experience.

The first, Fernando Diniz, was a spectacular failure, seeing the Selecao drop out of the 2026 World Cup qualifying picture - albeit momentarily. And Dorival has arguably been worse. All of his talk about beautiful football and eye-catching tactics has been laid bare, the manager instead deploying a disjointed side, and failing to get the best out of a number of supremely talented individuals.

This was Brazil at their very worst, lacking in attacking ideas and instead succumbing to a midfield slugfest. Sure, Uruguay did their part here, but a Brazil with this much talent shouldn't go so quietly in such a big game.

It's hard to see Dorival staying in a job now...

So often, commentators will describe a match as "a great advert for football." Well, this game was a pretty good reason for any casual onlooker to try another sport. There was plenty to dissect here from a tactical point of view, and a hefty amount of intrigue given the context of the game. But for those who wanted to tune in to be entertained by football's best showmen, and the competition's dark horses, then this will have been met with immense disappointment.

Such has been the case with three of the four quarter-finals in this competition. Argentina-Ecuador and Venezuela-Canada both required penalties to settle things after playing out admittedly drab contests. Only Colombia, who emphatically battered Panama 5-0 in the earlier fixture, have truly entertained in knockout football.

In a sense, this is just what tournament football yields. Neither team wanted to lose here, and the worst of the sport shone through as a result. Still, there was enough talent on the pitch - and across the competition - for some more expensive football to be played. Instead, this was a painful watch. Here's to a more attractive semifinal slate.