Brazil returned to winning ways in the South American World Cup Qualifiers with a rather uninspiring 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Friday, thanks to a first-half goal from Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.
Following a disappointing run of three consecutive losses, Brazil did just enough to secure the win, which lifted the struggling five-time World Cup champions to fourth place in the standings with 10 points.
They trail leaders Argentina by eight points and are only two points ahead of Ecuador, who sit in sixth place, the last position that guarantees a spot at the 2026 finals.
In their first match after a disappointing Copa America quarter-final defeat to Uruguay, Brazil delivered another lacklustre performance, dominating possession but failing to create clear-cut chances throughout the match. They misplaced too many passes and struggled to connect in attack, lacking ideas on how to penetrate Ecuador’s solid defensive setup.
Ecuador applied relentless, physically aggressive pressure with three industrious forwards, making it uncomfortable for the home side when attempting to play the ball. They afforded Brazil little room to enter their penalty area, forcing them to pass the ball horizontally around the edge of the box and resort to long-range efforts.
Brazil’s only two shots on target in the first half came from Rodrygo, who, after testing the goalkeeper with a free kick early on, was fortunate to break the deadlock in the 29th minute. His shot from the edge of the box deflected off a defender, arched around the wrong-footed goalkeeper, hit the right post, and found the back of the net.
Ecuador nearly equalised on a counterattack just before half-time, but defender Gabriel Magalhaes made a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Moises Caicedo.
Brazil returned for the second half even more uninspired, with Vinicius Jr managing their only shot on target in a dismal 45 minutes, which was met with boos at the final whistle.
Brazil will face Paraguay in Asuncion on Tuesday, while Ecuador is set to host Peru in Quito on Monday.
