September 06, (THEWILL) – Brazil took maximum points in their South American World Cup qualifier against Ecuador, winning 1-0 on Friday.
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo scored the lone goal in the first half, helping Brazil move up to fourth place in the standings with 10 points. This victory comes after a string of three consecutive losses in the qualifiers.
Despite the win, Brazil’s performance was lacklustre. The team struggled to create clear chances and faced difficulty breaking through Ecuador’s solid defence. Ecuador’s aggressive high-pressure tactics made it challenging for Brazil to build plays from the back. The home team was forced to rely on long-range shots and horizontal passes around the penalty area.
Rodrygo’s goal in the 29th minute came from a deflected shot that curved past the goalkeeper. Ecuador nearly equalised before half-time, but Gabriel Magalhaes made a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Moises Caicedo. The second half saw Brazil’s performance decline further, with Vinicius Jr managing the team’s only shot on target in a dull 45 minutes.
Brazil now sits eight points behind leaders Argentina and only two points ahead of sixth-placed Ecuador in the race for automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Brazil’s next match is against Paraguay in Asuncion on Tuesday, while Ecuador will host Peru in Quito on Monday.
The Brazilian team will be looking to build on this result and improve their performances in upcoming qualifiers to secure their position in the standings.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
