Soccer-Brazil boss Dorival Jr confident of Brazil's tactics despite opening draw

FILE PHOTO: Jun 24, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior (7) and Costa Rica defender Haxzel Quiros Cruz (22) prepare for a corner kick during the first half of a match at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

(Reuters) - Brazil coach Dorival Jr backed his team's tactics even though they were held to a goalless draw by Costa Rica in their opening Copa America match and he urged fans to keep faith with his players when they face Paraguay on Friday.

Brazil failed to impress after they failed to find the net against Costa Rica despite a dominant display in their opening Copa match.

However, 62-year-old coach Dorival Jr was quick to highlight the positive aspects of their performance.

"It's natural that we all expected a slightly different result in the last game, but we can't fail to appreciate how we performed. The way we put our opponents in their defence," Dorival told a news conference on Thursday.

"I am convinced of what we are doing and what we are achieving. It is work we have just started, but I think we are progressing in a balanced way.

"We have to be calm, balanced and confident. If every game we have doubts about everything we are doing, we will get nowhere."

The nine-time Copa champions will need to take all three points to boost their chances of progressing to the knockout stages, with Colombia leading in Group D after their 2-1 win over Paraguay. Despite the pressure, Dorival insists on being patient with a team "in transition".

"Every game is decisive, whether it's a friendly or not. It's always going to be like that, we'll never get rid of it," the Brazilian boss said.

"We need to understand it's a time of change, of transition, you can't build a team overnight ... It's a natural process. The team has shown more positives than negatives in every match, not just the last one."

(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar)