Paraguay v Venezuela Copa America semi final betting odds and preview

No Brazil, no Argentina in the semi finals of the 2011 Copa America, which leaves us with a Paraguay v Venezuela betting option to look at instead. In a quarter final stage full of shocks, Peru upset Colombia and Uruguay battled their way past host nation Argentina. That should have opened the doors for defending champions Brazil to go on and take the competition by the scruff of the neck, but with ‘historical incompetence’ (words of critics) from Brazil, they crashed out on penalties to Paraguay. Brazil have really not got going in the tournament, looking frail at the back and extremely guilty of not creating scoring chances from all the possession they have enjoyed. This was another case of them failing to turn their possession dominance into goals, as Brazil had the upper hand in the entire match against Paraguay, but they could not put their chances away. Neymar wasted a golden chance, so too Maicon, so too Ganso and Pato, but they just could get that one break. For all their talent in holding the ball and passing it around, looking simply brilliant at times, they have not been able to turn control of games into enough goals. This is a Brazil in transition and they have such talent up front it is hard to see why they are not doing more than they are. Their beautiful football in the middle of the park is simply their strength and it probably takes them longer than it should to get the ball forward, or they just try to be too intricate in playing the forwards in. It allows teams like Paraguay to collapse easily and hold their defensive corps together. So this was a big wasted chance by Brazil, in a game which they dominated, were clearly the better side but failed to deliver where it mattered most. They were abhorrent in the penalty shoot out, summing up their night when they missed all four of their shots on goal.This game was more about Brazil than Paraguay, but the latter prevailed.

As for Paraguay, well, they startling did not manage a single shot on goal during the entire 120 minutes against Brazil. There’s not too much you can take from them in this match. They had to fall back deep, they had no choice there because Brazil was so good at holding the ball and Paraguay could not get a look in. This was a turn in fortunes for Paraguay, who have now drawn all four of their 2011 Copa America matches. Up until the Brazil quarter final, Paraguay have been an enjoyable side to watch, as they use width and their excellent tactical formation allows them a very good balance over the field. However, they couldn’t match the might of Brazil, but they dug in defensively, rode their luck and took their chances in the shoot out. That wasn’t by design, they were outplayed by Brazil, and Paraguay will be relieved and looking forward to the semi final against Venezuela, where they should be able to exert a little more control. As for Venezuela, their fairy tale continued at the 2011 Copa America, as they beat one of the tournament favourites Chile in the quarter finals. This is the first time that Venezuela, so long the rank outsiders in South American football, have been in the quarter finals of the tournament, and capped off a run of all four quarter final underdogs winning their matches. Chile had looked the best team of all participants during the group stage, very organised, very strong, and more attacking in their mental setup than they were at the 2010 World Cup. It was the underdogs who took the lead here, leaving Chile to chase the game, and Venezuela putting their backs against the wall to keep themselves in the game. Chile did equalise with 20 minutes still left on the clock, but they didn’t really carry that momentum forward in looking as if they would score a second.

But Gabriel Cichero for Venezuela netted the crucial goal with just under ten minutes to go, and it was a blow that Chile, for all their play, could not recover from. Venezuela will be reeling a little bit though, as Tomas Rincon was sent off just before the end of the match, and will miss his influence. For the Paraguay v Venezuela Copa America semi final betting, there is a hint of another upset happening, as Venezuela are being quite brazen in their approach. However, Paraguay are the more experienced of the two sides, and do have better credentials throughout their set up, so they do make the sensible bet. It is Paraguay who will be favourites, and it would be a major shock if we see two more upsets in the semi final stage, with Uruguay v Peru betting forming the other semi final. Paraguay are a good side going forward, you just didn’t get a chance to see it against Brazil. They should be more relaxed and of course, wary of the dangers that the underdogs will pose them. As tempting as Venezuela are, because they have acquitted themselves so very well during the tournament against higher opposition, the pressure of a semi final may be too much for them. Go for Paraguay.

Paraguay v Venezuela Copa America semi final betting odds

Paraguay to win: 21/20 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 23/10 at Paddy Power
Venezuela to win: 10/3 at Boylesports

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See full Copa America Schedule and Results here