BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — There's a little less stress and a bit more joy among the Brazil squad, much to the relief of coach Mano Menezes.
That's what happens when you put behind a difficult start to the Copa America by producing a must-win and convincing 4-2 victory over Ecuador on Wednesday to advance from the group stage into the quarterfinals with rivals Argentina and Uruguay.
"It's important to leave the match knowing that we are better," Menezes said on Thursday. "The team is looser and that gives us more confidence for the next matches."
Brazil was the last team to guarantee its spot in the second round. Just like Argentina, it struggled in its first two matches before finally picking up the pace to get out of group play. Brazil performed poorly in draws with Venezuela and Paraguay before beating Ecuador.
"We want to keep improving, that's always the goal," Menezes said.
The coach changed the lineup for Wednesday's match and it paid off. He returned AC Milan striker Robinho to the team and replaced Barcelona right back Daniel Alves with Maicon. The coach said the addition of Maicon was key for the result and hinted the Inter Milan player will remain in the lineup in the match against Paraguay in La Plata.
"The team hadn't been producing on the right side," Menezes said. "Maicon added the spark that we wanted, making runs and giving us more balance. It was the right move and the team improved like we wanted."
Daniel Alves was dropped after he made a defensive mistake that cost Brazil a goal in the 2-2 draw with Paraguay, although Menezes said the error was not the reason he pulled Daniel Alves from the squad. He said it was a tactical choice to use Maicon, who was Brazil's starter throughout the World Cup in South Africa last year.
Menezes said the attack still needs to improve, but was satisfied with the effort on Wednesday, when Alexandre Pato and Neymar scored twice each. The midfield also received praise from the coach, especially playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso.
"Brazil improved and I improved, too," the 21-year-old Ganso said. "I was able to help the team and that's important."
If Brazil beats Paraguay, it will face either Venezuela or Chile, who also meet on Sunday.
The Venezuelans have been the surprise of the tournament, finishing second to Brazil in Group B and going unbeaten in their first three matches. They drew with Brazil 0-0 and with Paraguay 3-3 after scoring two late goals. Chile won Group C after beating Mexico and Peru and drawing with Uruguay.
"I think Chile had the most solid performance among all teams so far," Menezes said.
The only other team with two victories in the group stage was Colombia, which will face Peru on Saturday. Colombia dominated Group A and finished ahead of Argentina, which will face Uruguay in the most-anticipated quarterfinal, also on Saturday.
Uruguay was second to Chile in its group, while Argentina struggled with poor performances before advancing with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica.
Only four teams were eliminated in the group stage — Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Brazil won the Copa America the last two times, all in finals against Argentina. The winner this year will automatically earn a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.
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