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Carlo Ancelotti's tenure as Brazil coach off to a lacklustre start with goalless draw against Ecuador
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying match against Ecuador on Thursday was Carlo Ancelotti's first as Brazil coach since he replaced Dorival Junior, who had been sacked following a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of world champions Argentina in March, in the role. read more
Coach Carlo Ancelotti (right) looks on from the sidelines during Brazil's FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Ecuador. Reuters
Carlo Ancelotti's tenure as coach of Brazil men's football team began on a rather lacklustre note, with the five-time world champions held to a goalless draw by Ecuador during their FIFA World Cup Qualifying match in Guayaquil, Ecuador on Thursday.
The Brazilians found it tough to penetrate Ecuador's organised defence, with their best chance coming from Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr off a Gerson assist that was blocked by goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle. Vinicius had played under Ancelotti for four years during the latter's second spell in charge of Madrid, .
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Ecuador threatened in the second half when John Yeboah attempted a through ball, but striker Nilson Angulo was caught offside.
Ancelotti's side created more chances, but failed to capitalise, with Richarlison squandering a well-placed pass from Vinicius Jr in the box and Casemiro's powerful long-range shot being saved by Valle.
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'It's only been two or three days'
'Of course we always have to improve, but little by little we're getting better. It's only been two or three days with a new coach. The dynamic is good, the atmosphere is good. I'm very happy to be back. The atmosphere is excellent,' Casemiro said after the match.
'Ancelotti hasn't had time to show us his game plan yet. It's only been two or three days of training,' Vinicius added.
Brazil remain in fourth place with 22 points. , tasked with pulling the team back from a difficult period — a challenging mission as they seek to become six-time world champions.
Their next opponents are third-placed Paraguay, who won 2–0 against Uruguay earlier.
Meanwhile, Ecuador are closer to qualifying, remaining in second place with 24 points. The top six teams qualify directly for next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. They play ninth-placed Peru on Tuesday.
With Reuters inputs
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