Brazilwith the sole purpose from Rodrygo In the first half, they beat Ecuador 1-0 on Friday in a difficult match that they dominated, but in which they struggled to finish, and climbed to fourth place in the classification of South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Canarinha, forced to win at home because of three consecutive defeats – something that has never been done before – in the qualifying rounds, got the result they needed, but left doubts and was booed by their fans.
Success allowed Brazil moved up to fourth place with 10 points and still a long way from the leader’s 18 Argentinawhile Ecuador, with 8 points, dropped to sixth position, the last one with guaranteed qualification for the World Cup, and lost the unbeaten record it had maintained in its last five games.
Neither the control of the ball most of the time nor the offensive power of Vinicius Junior and of Rodrygo, the attacking pair real Madridor the debut of the gem Estevão at 17 years old, removed the doubts of a team that continues to suffer without Neymar, who is still out due to injury, and also lost Pedro.
Brazil had difficulties in the first half to overcome a Ecuador who dug themselves into place and defended themselves with five players lined up in the rearguard.
In Vinicius on the left tip and Luiz Henrique On the right, Canarinha struggled to open spaces in the first half, where they had control of the ball for 64% of the time and where they finished five completions against three for the Ecuadorians.
The team led by Dorival Junior He only had his first clear scoring chance on 25 minutes plus Vinicius after help from Andrewbut the Real Madrid player finished with the ball on his markers.
Brazil opened the scoring in the 30th minute Lucas Paquetá found Rodrygo there was no mark outside the area and the Real Madrid player preferred to kick from distance as the only way to avoid the Ecuadorian barrier. His ball crashed into Galíndez’s right post before going in.
The goal gave more freedom to the Brazilians, who had several other chances, mainly in Luiz Henriquebut does not pose a significant risk.
Ecuador almost equalized in the minutes of the substitution when, in a counterattack armed by Kevin Rodríguez, Caicedo had the chance of two shots, the first contained Alison and the second for Gabriel Magalhaes almost in line.
In an attempt to react, the Argentine Sebastian Beccacecewho debuted as a coach of Ecuadorstrengthened their attack for the second half with the entry of Kendry Páez and Carlos Gruezo.
The changes allowed the Andeans to balance the game and generate more attacks, but in Brazil also make some dangerous plays, although not yet finished.
The technician Brazil He also made some changes to improve his attack, mainly with the entry of Estevão, from Palmeiras, who made his debut at the age of 17 as a senior player.
Beccacece then opted to take his two starting attackers (Enner Valencia and Kevin Rodríguez) and with Yeboah and Mercado coming on, it allowed Ecuador to find more spaces and end Brazil’s dominance.
In less stable Ecuador, Vinicius He had one of his best chances in the 82nd minute, when, after a play by Danilo and a maneuver by Estevão, he was able to move forward freely and break into the area, but went into trouble when he tried to avoid Galíndez.
In the last minutes, Brazil He preferred to handle his success and ended up defending himself and leaving with boos.
– Technical sheet:
1. Brazil: Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, Guilherme Arana (d.74, Wendell); André (m.85, João Gomes), Bruno Guimarães (m.62, Gerson), Lucas Paquetá (m.74, Lucas Moura); Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior and Luiz Henrique (d.62, Estevão).
Selector: Dorival Junior
0. Ecuador: Hernán Galindez; Félix Torres, William Pacho, Piero Hincapié, Pervis Estupiñán (m.85, Yaimar Medina); Jeremy Sarmiento (m.46, Kendry Páez), Jhegson Méndez (m.46, Carlos Gruezo), Alan Franco, Moisés Caicedo; Kevin Rodríguez (m.68, John Mercado) and Enner Valencia (m.68, John Yeboah).
Selector: Sebastian Beccacece.
Purpose: 1-0, m.30: Rodrygo.
Referee: Argentine Facundo Tello has warned Lucas Moura.
Incidents: match for the seventh day of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup played at the Couto Pereira stadium, in Curitiba, before 36,914 spectators.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
