October 08, (THEWILL) –Â Brazil’s spotless CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying record remained intact with a late 3-1 win over Venezuela as Gabriel ‘Gabigold Barbosa scored an 85th-minute penalty to keep Brazil on a definite course.
With a record of 16 wins and one loss in 17 previous World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela, the Selecao had yet to lose against their opponents. This was the most times Brazil had faced an opponent without losing.
In the seventh minute, Gabigol’s attempt flashed just past of the post as Brazil made a promising start.
However, against the odds, Venezuela took a surprising lead four minutes later thanks to Eric Ramirez. Ramirez made no mistake as he guided his header past Alisson and into the bottom corner of the net after Yeferson Soteldo sprinted down the wing and delivered an inch-perfect cross to him.
Ramirez’s goal halted Brazil’s six-game clean sheet streak in World Cup qualifying, the longest by any team in the CONMEBOL tournament’s history.
After Everton Ribeiro’s shot rebounded against the crossbar in the 22nd minute, missing his team-mates for a tap-in, Brazil continued to dominate but had nothing to show for it.
Venezuela made it to half-time without conceding but Brazil put the ball in the back of the net 11 minutes into second half. Fortunately for Venezuela, Thiago Silva’s headed goal for Brazil was disallowed due to offside, much to the disappointment of the Selecao.
Venezuela continued to take the game to Brazil as the contest opened up, with the visitors chasing an equalizer, and they did restore parity via Marquinhos’ towering header 19 minutes from the end.
Gabigol – who was caught from behind as he attempted to pounce on Vinicius Junior’s rebound – coolly scored from the spot before Antony made it 3-1 with the game’s final kick.
About the Author
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.
