The former manager of Leeds United displayed class during Uruguay’s Copa America quarterfinal victory.
After Uruguay shocked Brazil in the Copa America quarterfinal, former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa displayed class.
Overnight, La Celeste advanced to the competition’s final four after defeating Brazil in a penalty shootout at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Nahitan Nandez’s red card in the 74th minute put Bielsa’s team under pressure to stay in the match, but they prevailed in a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes of play.
Then, as Uruguay took advantage of missed penalties by Brazil’s Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz to advance to the semifinals, they retained their composure to win the shootout 4-2.
However, Bielsa received the greatest praise for his response at halftime, and Leeds United supporters were not shocked by his most recent display of elegance.
Before the game began, Bielsa and former Leeds winger Raphinha—who made his Brazil debut—went to greet each other.
Under Bielsa, the Brazil international’s career took off at Leeds, and two years ago, he won a move to Barcelona for £55 million from Elland Road.
Before the match, Raphinha stated that Bielsa’s efforts during their time together at Leeds are responsible for all of his recent professional achievements. Bielsa was eager to pay tribute to his former teammate on a full-time basis.
Bielsa went straight after Raphinha to comfort his former star player before congratulating his team on their progress, even though the rest of the Uruguayan players and staff were hurrying to celebrate Manuel Ugarte’s winning penalty.
Uruguay, led by Bielsa, is now two wins away from winning the Copa America this summer. They play Colombia on Thursday in the semi-final at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
