37' Clever play from Lopez, who receives the ball on the left flank near his penalty area and has the presence of mind to play the ball through the legs of Gabi, winning a free-kick with which to move his side up the pitch.
35' Play is brought to a half as Pena’s slide tackle catches Neymar, sending him down in a heap. The captain should be okay to continue, but he’s limping noticeably.
33' With just over 10 minutes left in the half Brazil are on top comfortably, without looking anywhere close to their best. Ederson has had very little to do in the opening period, while Thiago Silva and Militao have been able to stroll into the opposition’s half at will. Gareca’s side will need to do more offensively if they wish to trouble the hosts.
31' Tapia sets his sights at goal and takes a strike from a long way out, but Ederson is able to block the ball to take the sting out before collecting it calmly.
29' Alex Sandro’s strike at the 14th minute was only his second-ever goal for the Selecao; the first coming in 2018 en-route to a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in a friendly.
27' Cueva’s corner is taken deep to the far post for Lapadula, but his attempt to head the ball forward for a team-mate brings his side’s attack to an end as the referee flags for offside.
25' CLOSE FROM FABINHO! Neymar’s corner looking for Jesus is headed away by a Peru defender but only to the edge of the penalty area. The Liverpool midfielder has a second to set himself and strikes a dangerous effort to the far post, missing narrowly!
22' Carrillo puts a cross into the penalty area looking for the head of Lapadula, but Ederson steps off his line comfortably and makes a clean catch to foil the visitors.
20' Neymar drives through midfield and looks to play a pass in-between the two centre-backs for Gabi, but Abram uses his strength to ease in front and shield the ball for Ramos.
18' Gabi calls for a foul as he’s marked by three Peru defenders, but Tapia is able to win the ball freely and play it back to Ramos to keep possession as the referee allows play to continue.
16' The last time Brazil and Peru met in the Copa America was the final in 2019, when the Selecao lifted the trophy for the ninth time after a 3-1 victory.
14' Brazil haven’t had a scintillating start to the match, but the Selecao are lethal in front of goal, able to create a chance out of nowhere and make their opponents pay. It’s on the visitors to get back into the match as a difficult task becomes even harder.
11' Manchester United’s Fred has a sight of goal from outside the penalty area and whacks an effort towards the net, but the midfielder sends his strike harmlessly wide of Gallese’s far post.
9' Lopez is played through into the penalty area by a lovely Yotun pass, but the full-back mishits his kick and catches the shin of the covering Militao - giving Brazil a free-kick.
7' Brazil’s free-flowing football will be put to the test tonight in Rio, where rainy and humid conditions have left the pitch in less than ideal condition. The state of the field will certainly be an advantage for Peru, who are given the unenviable task of halting this potent Brazil attack.
5' Neymar drops deep into midfield and wins a free-kick from Yotun, who was far too eager in his pressing near the centre-circle.
3' Peru are looking to put pressure on the hosts early, launching it long to Carrillo but a lack of space in the Brazil defence forces play all the way back to Gallese in the Peru goal.
1' Peru get the match underway from the kick-off!
Gareca goes with an experienced line-up to start their Copa America campaign, with 521 caps split between the starting XI. Gallese keeps his place in goal, while Corzo, Ramos, Abram and Marcos Lopez start in defence. Tapia and Yotun are familiar faces in the Peru midfield, with a trio ahead of them comprised of Cueva, Pena and Carrillo. The striker chosen to spearhead the attack is Benevento’s Lapadula, in what will be his seventh appearance.
Brazil make six changes from their convincing 3-0 victory over Venezuela on Sunday as Tite looks to freshen things up for match two. A swap in goal sees Manchester City’s Ederson replace Liverpool’s Alisson, while Silva and Alex Sandro replace Marquinhos and Lodi in defence. Casemiro and Paqueta are replaced by Casemiro and Everton in midfield, while Gabi’s goal last time out earns him the start over Richarlison.
PERU SUBS: Alexis Arias, Raziel Garcia, Luis Iberico, Carlos Lora, Renzo Garces, Alexander Callens, Jose Carvallo, Carlos Caceda, Anderson Santamaria, Gerald Tavara, Miguel Araujo, Alex Valera.
PERU XI (4-2-3-1): Pedro Gallese; Aldo Corzo, Christian Ramos, Luis Abram, Marcos Lopez; Renato Tapia, Yoshimar Yotun; Andre Carrillo, Sergio Pena, Christian Cueva; Gianluca Lapadula.
BRAZIL SUBS: Renan Lodi, Casemiro, Alisson, Vinicius Junior, Everton Ribeiro, Richarlison, Emerson, Marquinhos, Douglas Luiz, Weverton, Roberto Firmino, Lucas Paqueta.
Brazil (4-4-2): Ederson; Alex Sandro; Thiago Silva, Eder Militao, Danilo; Everton, Fabinho, Fred, Gabriel Jesus; Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s see how the two sides will be lining up - starting with Brazil!
It won’t be an easy evening for Peru, who are playing in their first match in the Copa America, as the odd-numbered groups mean one team sits out each matchday. Ricardo Gareca’s team come into the fixture on the back of a poor run of form, losing four of their last five - though they did manage a 2-1 win over Ecuador their last time out. The last time Brazil and Peru squared off, a Neymar hattrick condemned La Blanquirroja to a 4-2 defeat in what was a thrilling game for the neutral.
Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela on opening day extended the Selecao’s winning run to eight matches in all competitions, with a clean sheet in each of their last five games. Neymar’s involvement in the side cannot be understated, with the captain involved in two of his side’s three goals on Sunday - scoring once from the penalty spot to double their advantage before assisting Gabriel Barbosa for the third.
Good evening and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Copa America group B fixture between Brazil and Peru!
