In the second round of the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, Brazil plays against Paraguay. Vinicius scored his maiden goal for the Copa America and Brazil's first goal of the tournament.
The 23-year-old Vinicius has become the most experienced player in this young forward line of the Samba Army. In the 2021 Copa America, Vinicius got 3 appearances, and in the 2022 World Cup, he was among the main lineups, with one pass and one shot against South Korea.
With his impressive performances at Real Madrid this season, Vinicius is already seen as one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or. However, Vinicius' performances for the national team have been dwarfed, with the last time he scored for the national team coming against Guinea on 17 June 2023.
Vinicius didn't perform well against Costa Rica, making five breakthroughs without success, and not a single shot on goal, which led to him being replaced early, scoring only 6.3 points, the lowest among starters.
Against Paraguay, Vinicius was in significantly better form, repeatedly trying to break through on the flanks from the start, and successfully broke through five of his eight times in the first 30 minutes.
After Paqueta missed a penalty, Vinicius stepped up. In the 35th minute, Vinicius launched an attack on the side, Paqueta made a wonderful pass, and Vinicius pushed the goal in the face of the attacking goalkeeper, 1-0!
It was Vinicius' first attempt at the Copa America and his first goal in the Copa America, his second in 10 appearances at international level.
At the same time, Vinicius also broke the 376-day ball drought. It was his fourth goal in 32 appearances for his country and his ninth involvement.