Curitiba (Reuters)
Brazil returned to winning ways in South American World Cup qualifying with a lacklustre 1-0 win over Ecuador, courtesy of a first-half goal from Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.
After a run of three straight defeats in qualifying, Brazil did enough to win, taking the five-time world champions to fourth place in the standings with 10 points.
The team is eight points behind leaders Argentina, and only two points ahead of Ecuador, which occupies the sixth and final place and guarantees qualification for the 2026 finals.
In their first match after a disappointing defeat to Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the Copa America, Brazil put in another lacklustre performance, dominating possession but failing to create clear chances throughout the match.
Brazil made several missed passes and struggled to attack, having no ideas on how to break down Ecuador’s solid defence.
Ecuador played very strongly, with fierce physical pressure, through three strong strikers, which made the Brazilian players feel uncomfortable in the exchange of balls. They also had almost no space to enter the penalty area, which forced the home team to move the ball horizontally around the penalty area and resort to long shots.
Brazil only managed two shots on goal in the first half, through Rodrygo, who opened the scoring in the 29th minute, after he shot the ball from the edge of the penalty area, hitting a defender and the right post, and entering the goalkeeper’s net.
Ecuador almost equalised on a counter-attack just before half-time, but defender Gabriel Magalhaes saved Moses Caicedo’s attempt in the final minute of the half, clearing the ball off the goal line.
But Brazil were even worse in the second half, with Vinicius Junior’s only shot on target in 45 minutes a very dull one amid boos at the final whistle.
“We needed this win, it doesn’t matter if it was bad or not, I’m happy to win and score, and I hope it will help us improve and advance to the level we want to reach in the future,” Rodrygo told Brazilian station Globo.
Brazil face Paraguay in Asuncion next Tuesday, while Ecuador hosts Peru in Quito a day earlier.
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