Unbeaten Brazil gained victory over Colombia to become the first South American side to secure a spot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Meanwhile, Ecuador and Chile joined Brazil and Argentina in the automatic qualification spots thanks to wins over Venezuela and Paraguay, respectively.
Olympique Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute. The move that led to Brazil’s goal started when Marquinhos intercepted a long pass in midfield before playing the ball forward for Neymar.
The Brazil captain opened his body to collect the ball but instead knocked it into the path of Paqueta with a deft first touch. The attacking midfielder ran in between two defenders and scored past David Ospina with a first-time shot.
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr came close to doubling Brazil’s lead in the final moments of the game. He latched onto a pass from Neymar before knocking it past an onrushing Ospina. In doing so, however, he lost his balance and was unable to capitalize on an advantageous situation with the goalkeeper off his line. Nonetheless, Brazil didn’t need the ball to go in again as they held onto their narrow lead and were able to book their place in Qatar.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie scored in Ecuador’s 1-0 win over Venezuela. The youngster headed in from a set-piece, helping Ecuador strengthen their position in the qualification group. La Tricolor are third in the table, five points behind Argentina and four ahead of Chile.
Chile, meanwhile, leapfrogged Colombia in the table, thanks to a 1-0 win over Paraguay. The Paraguayan custodian Antony Silva inadvertently pushed the ball into his net from a corner, giving Chile the advantage – which the latter held onto until the end. With the win, Chile moved to occupy the final automatic qualification spot in the South American qualifiers.
