A new adventure begins. It"s time to leave the Qatar frustration behind and set the sights on 2026. Brazil began its journey through the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 5-1 victory over Bolivia on Fridat night. Brazilian national team performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Mangueirao Stadium, in Belém, north of the country, in the South American qualifiers first round.
This was Fernando Diniz"s debut game as coach of the Brazil national team. The new boss, initially on a one-year contract with the CBF, began his work with the mission of presenting a game proposal different from the one that former boss Tite imposed on Brazil for six years. Well, he left quite an impression on his debut.
READ MORE
++ Neymar compares Saudi league to French league: ‘maybe better’
++ Barcelona could receive money for Coutinho’s departure from the Premier League
++ Who was the last Brazilian to win the Ballon d’Or?
The Brazilian favorites were welcomed by a tight Bolivian defense, but little by little the expected goal festival started. The men from the attack line led the night party.
Goal record after a missed penalty: Neymar came from last year World Cup tied with Pelé with 77 goals, both as the two best scorers in the history of Brazil in international tournaments.
The Al Hilal star had the chance to become a record holder in the first half, but missed his shot. But in the second half, Neymar scored twice and, at the age of 31, becomes number 1 on a list that includes the giants of Brazilian football — in addition to Pelé, names like Ronaldo, Romário and Zico.
Now it"s 79 international goals for Neymar. How far can he go?
🚨OFFICIAL:
NEYMAR JR IS THE TOP GOAL SCORER IN SELEÇÃO HISTORY!!!! 🇧🇷
Pelé would be proud 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/rUQ4VKwzC2
— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) September 9, 2023
Redemption for Rodrygo and Raphinha: The two strikers left the FIFA tournament in Qatar at the end of 2022 with a bitter taste in their mouths. The Real Madrid man missed a penalty against Croatia in the quarterfinals, while the Barcelona winger was unable to score, even as a starter.
Last night in Belém, the two had good performance and showed that they can be important in the new journey. Rodrygo scored twice, while Raphinha found the net in the second half.
The 11 starters for Brazil: Ederson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães and Renan Lodi; Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães and Neymar; Raphinha, Rodrygo and Richarlison.
Who came from the bench: Ibañez, Caio Henrique, Joelinton, Gabriel Jesus and Matheus Cunha.
Next match: The Brazilian team will play in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, when the Fernando Diniz men will visit Peru in Lima.
Other scores in the South America qualifiers first round
- Paraguay 0-0 Peru
- Colombia 1-0 Venezuela
- Argentina 1-0 Ecuador
- Uruguay 3-1 Chile
Qualifiers: How it works in South America
South American World Cup qualification involves 10 teams and each team plays the other teams twice, meaning there are 18 matchdays.
The top six teams qualify for the World Cup and the team which finishes in seventh place advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Brazil will play six times in the South American tournament until the end of 2023.
¡Todo listo en las mejores Eliminatorias del mundo! Empieza el camino a la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 26™ 🌎🏆
Tudo pronto nas melhores Eliminatorias do mundo! Começa o caminho para a Copa do Mundo FIFA 26™ 🤩#CreeEnGrande | #AcrediteSempre pic.twitter.com/tSSzE0Y4v7
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) September 7, 2023
