October 18, (THEWILL) – Liverpool frontman, Darwin Nunez, headed home one goal and assisted another as Uruguay beat Brazil for the first time in 22 years in their 2026 World Cup South American qualifying clash early on Wednesday.
Nunez nodded in a bullet header on 42 minutes to open the scoring in a lacklustre first half at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Unfortunately for Brazil, Neymar had to be substituted after suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury.
The English Premier League ace then played a key role in Uruguay’s second goal, holding up the ball well from a throw-in and cutting back for Nicolas de la Cruz to fire past Brazil keeper Ederson on 77 minutes, sealing a 2-0 victory.
The win was Uruguay’s first over Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match since a 1-0 victory over the “Selecao” in Montevideo in July 2001. The defeat marked another disappointing result for five-time world champions Brazil, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela last week in the previous round.
The win leaves Uruguay level on seven points alongside Brazil and Venezuela, five behind early front-runners Argentina, who lead the table with a maximum of 12 points from four games. Argentina beat Peru in Lima with a Lionel Messi brace.
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.
