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Brazil failed to maintain their winning start to the 2019 edition of the Copa America on Wednesday, when they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Venezuela, during their penultimate game in Group A at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador.
Despite dominating the lion's share of possession, Brazil failed to come away with a win after being frustrated by the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and some determined defending by their opponents.
The Selecao were denied a goal on three separate occasions during the game, as they eventually missed out on becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
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And although their qualification remains likely and within their own hands, their inability to find the killer instinct to put Venezuela to the sword will undoubtedly be a concern for the hosts, while heading into the latter stages of the competition.
In the wake of the recent results in Group A, Brazil are level on points with Peru at the summit, while Venezuela still have everything to play for in their final game after avoiding defeat in the first two outings.
Brazil and Venezuela are in action again on Saturday, when they face Peru and Bolivia respectively, during the final game of the group stages of the competition. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the five major talking points from Brazil's frustrating stalemate against Venezuela.
#1 Double-edged VAR slits Brazil wide open
During their win over Bolivia in the opening game, Brazil were handed a huge favour courtesy of VAR, as the hosts were awarded a penalty for a handball after the referee reviewed an incident in the second half.
As such, Philippe Coutinho converted the spot-kick and added another goal, before Everton Soares completed the rout to hand them a winning start to the tournament on home soil.
However, the Selecao were on the receiving end of the double-edged nature of VAR against Venezuela in Salvador, as they were denied twice in the second half after finding the back of the net.
Gabriel Jesus, who replaced Richarlison at the half time interval, netted the opening goal just after the hour mark, but the referee's decision to consult VAR proved detrimental to the hosts, as it was understood that Roberto Firmino had trudged narrowly offside before feeding the Manchester City striker.
Despite their bad luck that saw the referee deny Firmino a goal in the first half, after he had pushed Mikel Villanueva in the build up to finding the back of the net, Brazil were still hopeful of turning it around in the dying embers of the game.
And although they put their best foot forward, Brazil were controversially denied another goal with just few minutes of normal time remaining to rule out Coutinho securing maximum points for his side.
Firmino was yet again adjudged to have been in an offside position, but this time around it was far from convincing and Brazil would feel they were robbed off a win in the end, due to the intervention of VAR.
#2 Venezuela prove mettle to stay alive in the competition
The fact that Brazil were victims of a controversial decision through VAR should not take the shine away from Venezuela and the magnitude of their achievement on the night.
La Vinotinto have never managed to beat Brazil in a competitive tournament and boast of a miserable record against their South American rivals in recent years.
And although they did not threaten to put an end to the long wait for a win against Brazil, they wouldn't fold easily on the night and succumb to a defeat either.
Rafael Dudamel's men were well-drilled from the get-go and proved very difficult to break down for Brazil, due to their resolute and dogged defending.
The Selecao were evidently frustrated as the visitors maintained their shape and put men behind the ball to grind out a result in the end, with a little help from VAR.
As such, Venezuela are still in good shape to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament in Brazil, especially considering they have yet to lose a game after facing two of the strongest sides in Group A.
Bolivia, who have lost both their games until now, are Venezuela's next opponents and a win on Saturday will put them in good stead to qualify either as runners-up from Group A, or as one of the two best third-placed teams to progress depending on results from elsewhere.
#3 David Neres fails to redeem himself and justify his selection
David Neres was named in the Brazil squad for the Copa America ahead of the likes of Lucas Moura and Vinicius Junior, owing to his sparkling form with Ajax during the recently concluded season.
However, the 22-year-old has yet to justify his inclusion in the playing eleven by putting in an impressive shift for Brazil during their first two games against Bolivia and Venezuela respectively.
The winger conjured a lacklustre display during the opening game in his hometown last week and was eventually replaced by Everton Soares, who hogged the limelight by scoring a spectacular goal after coming on for the last 10 minutes against Bolivia.
Despite his poor display, Tite opted to hand Neres another opportunity against Venezuela and he flattered to deceive with his performance, yet again.
Neres even opted to shift flanks with Richarlison during the first half and still failed to make a decisive impact for Brazil, who eventually replaced him with Everton in the second half.
And following his introduction, Everton provided a glimmer of hope and was the orchestrator-in-chief behind the hosts' second goal that was controversially disallowed by VAR.
It remains unlikely that Tite would overlook Everton for the final group game against Peru on Saturday, especially considering Neres has yet to live up to the hype, although it is still early days for him with the national team.
#4 Yordan Osorio exemplifies Venezuela and their dogged approach
It feels crazy now to think Yordan Osorio was left out of the playing eleven during Venezuela's opening game against Peru and played no part even as a substitute, despite the marching orders received by full-back Luis Del Pino Mago.
The 25-year-old made the best impression during his debut in the ongoing tournament, as he fought tooth and nail to prevent Brazil from securing maximum points on the night.
Osorio quickly established a formidable partnership with Mikel Villanueva in the heart of the visitors' defence and thwarted Brazil time and again to keep the opponents at bay.
The defender also provided enough support to full-back Ronald Hernandez, who endured a slow start to the game before eventually growing in confidence under the soothing influence of his partner.
Osorio was Venezuela's best player on the night by a country mile and was probably even the best player on the pitch considering he was always alert to the threat from Brazil, due to his excellent ability to read the game.
The Porto defender, who spent last season on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes, should be an automatic selection for Rafael Dudamel during his team's crucial final game against Bolivia in Group A.
#5 Tite almost pulled of the Midas touch yet again
Tite earned the plaudits for his decision to introduce Everton Soares from the bench during the win over Bolivia and almost pulled off something even more incredible against Venezuela in Salvador.
The Brazilian tactician conjured his best efforts to turn the game on its head by ringing in a change as early as the half time interval. Gabriel Jesus replaced Richarlison and was involved in the thick of the drama that unraveled during the second half of the game.
Jesus started off by curling a shot wide and eventually scored what looked like the opening goal of the game when he latched on to a pass from Roberto Firmino, who was later flagged offside by the referee after consulting VAR.
Although the introduction of Fernandinho in place of Casemiro irked the fans, who made their voices heard by booing the decision from Tite, the Manchester City midfielder also came close to scoring with a header in the dying embers of the game.
However, the change that arguably stood out was yet again Everton, who produced a brilliant individual display to set up the second goal that was disallowed on the night, courtesy of VAR.
The Gremio attacker showed his burst of pace down the left flank and provided the assist for Philippe Coutinho, who scored but to no avail after Firmino was yet again, albeit controversially, ruled offside.
Despite his substitutions not changing the outcome of the game, Tite almost pulled it off yet again and he will continue to bank on his strength from the bench throughout this tournament.
