Defending champion Brazil's dominant first half secures spot in Copa America Femenina final

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QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — With three goals in the first half-hour, defending champion Brazil eased past Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday to qualify for the Copa America Femenina final for the fifth straight tournament.

Amanda Gutierres opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Giovana Queiroz doubled the lead two minutes later and six-time player of the year Marta converted on a penalty kick in the 27th for the Brazilians, who have won the past four editions of the Copa America.

Gutierres added a goal in the 65th off a free kick, giving her five for the tournament. She's behind only Paraguay’s Claudia Martinez, who has six. Dudinha finished off the scoring in the 86th.

Brazil will play for the championship next Saturday against Colombia, which progressed to the final by edging Argentina 5-4 on penalty kicks on Monday. The match will be played at Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, in the capital Quito.

It will be a rematch of the final of the 2022 Copa America Femenina that was played in Colombia and that Brazil won 1-0.

The 39-year-old Marta, who has played in six World Cups and six Olympics, has 120 goals in 205 games with Brazil.

The Brazilian women have won eight of the nine editions of the Copa America and are considered the best team in South America. Their best finish at the World Cup was runner-up in 2007 and they have reached the Olympic final three times, including in Paris 2024, where they lost to the U.S.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer