This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
On Tuesday, Brazil secured their spot in the Copa America final with a 2-0 victory over Argentina, and forward Gabriel Jesus was the star of the show. The 22-year-old Manchester City player had a premonition that he would score, and he made good on that prediction.
Jesus opened the scoring on 19 minutes with a goal set up by Roberto Firmino, and then sealed the win 19 minutes from time with another goal. He credited Firmino with a 'really well' set up, saying, "I was very confident... and I managed to score in a great team performance."
Brazil coach Tite praised Jesus's hard work, particularly given his frustrating run of not scoring in Brazil's previous four matches. Tite said, "Gabriel impresses all the professionals that work with him because he never gives up."
Jesus's goal was just one part of a great team performance, and Tite was full of praise for his players. He said, "We have to play every match with this spirit."
Argentina's Lionel Messi was on the opposite side of the pitch, and Tite had high praise for the Argentine star, saying, "It was a great game, Messi is an extra terrestrial. He's exceptional, both with and without the ball."
Playing in the final on Sunday will be a new experience for Brazil coach Tite, who will be coaching in the iconic Maracana stadium for the first time. He said, "I'm truly going to be the coach of the national team when we play there."
