Before facing Venezuela, Brazil’s coach Dinizval Junior had stated that he no longer sees a difference between small and big teams. In Maturín, Brazil seemed to prove his point.
Although Brazil initially took the lead against Venezuela, they ended up settling for a draw. They were even awarded a penalty, but Vinícius Júnior failed to score. To make matters worse, Venezuela played the last 10 minutes of added time with only 10 men, but Brazil still couldn’t find the back of the net, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Brazil took the lead in the 43rd minute with a free-kick goal from Raphinha. His brilliant left-footed shot went in off the right post, marking his first goal for Brazil. However, they couldn’t hold onto the lead for long. Just 38 seconds into the second half, substitute midfielder Telasco Sagavía equalized with a powerful shot from just outside the box.
In the fast-paced match, Brazil had a chance to go ahead again in the 63rd minute. Vinícius was fouled in the box by Venezuela’s goalkeeper Rafael Romo, and Brazil was awarded a penalty after VAR review. However, Vinícius’ shot was saved by Romo, and he missed the rebound, sending the ball wide of the post.
Brazil pushed forward in the final minutes for a winner. In the 4th and 7th minutes of added time, attempts by Vinícius and Esteveo were blocked by Venezuela’s defense. By then, Venezuela was reduced to 10 men, with defender Alexander González receiving a red card in the 89th minute. González was penalized for striking both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinícius.
Both teams had plenty of goal-scoring opportunities in this thrilling match, creating 11 chances each. Despite controlling 60% of the possession, Brazil couldn’t secure a win, which will likely leave Dinizval frustrated. On the other hand, Venezuela can be proud of their solid defensive performance.
In added time in the second half, goalkeeper Romo saved Esteveo’s left-footed shot in the 4th minute, and Vinícius’ header in the 7th minute didn’t reach the net. In the first half, Vinícius also hit the post once. The Real Madrid star, who scored a hat-trick in La Liga on Saturday, was at the heart of Brazil’s attack but couldn’t find the net in this match. Garson also had two good chances but missed one over the top of the post and saw Romo save the other. Venezuela also had good opportunities in the 58th and 65th minutes.
With this result, Venezuela broke a nine-match losing streak against Brazil in World Cup qualifiers on home soil. Interestingly, this is the third time (1981, 1993, and 2024) in World Cup qualifiers that Venezuela has faced Brazil at home, receiving a penalty and seeing a player sent off.
In the World Cup qualifying standings, Brazil sits third with 17 points from 11 matches. Argentina leads with 22 points from 10 matches, while Colombia is second with 19 points from 10 matches. The top six teams will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the seventh will play in the playoffs. Brazil will face Uruguay in their next match on Wednesday morning, Bangladesh time.
