Marta, 39, has extensive experience in football, but had never lived a journey like Saturday (2) at Casa Blanca stadium in Quito, Ecuador.
Triggered 36 minutes into the second half of the Copa America final, the veteran ace of Brazil saw Colombia passed the score at 43. At 51, at the last minute of the additions, he scored a beautiful goal to force the extension, in which he returned to swing the net, in luck. But the opponents sought a draw 4-4 and brought the decision to the penalties.
The script seemed designed for Alagoas to define the tiebreaker, in the fifth round of the criminal brand submission series, but she performed her shot very badly, stopping at the goalkeeper Tapia. Disturbed, he accompanied from the center of the field the end of the dispute, with a Lorena defense in Carabali’s kick.
Brazil won the 5-4 penalty shootout and won the Copa America. Marta was elected the best player of the competition.
“I was there asking God not to punish me so much. Because, after entering the game as it was, being awarded the goal goal, then scoring another goal… Then we ended up taking a hesitation, they tied,” said shirt 10, who did not take the ball that could have closed the championship a little before what he finished.
“I came back after the very shaken penalty kick. But I count on these girls, who didn’t make me even more shaken, always believing that we could, that Lorena would take the penalties,” he added, relieved. “Our biggest goal, no doubt, is to see Brazilian football and the South American shining more and more.”
