Brazil Defeats Colombia In Epic South American World Cup Qualifier
Vinicius Junior of Brazil celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup ... More 2026 Qualifiers match between Brazil and Colombia at Arena BRB Mane Garrincha. (Photo credit should read Rebeca Schumacker / GocherImagery/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
South American World Cup qualifying has returned for the first time since November 2024 and Brazil has moved into second place in the table after a hard fought victory at home to Colombia.
Raphina's exquisite pass cut the Colombian defence into pieces after just two minutes of the game. Vinicius Junior latched onto the ball and was hauled down in the box by Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñoz. Raphina then stepped up to take the penalty that his wonderful pass helped to create, and made absolutely no mistake. 1-0 to the hosts.
Raphinha of Brazil celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the South American FIFA ... More World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Brazil and Colombia at Mane Garrincha Stadium on March 20, 2025 in Brasilia, Brazil. (Photo by Andre Ricardo/Sports)
Brazil had the best of the first period up until the 40 minute mark. Flamengo midfielder Gerson had to be subbed off after an injury and he was replaced by Joelinton; who looked like he was still hungover from Newcastle's League Cup celebrations on Sunday. The big midfielder was off the pace in the first half and got caught out multiple times in the middle of the park.
Sadly for the Newcastle player one of those errors came on the edge of his own box. James Rodríguez then slipped in Liverpool forward Luis Díaz, and the winger cut in from the left of the box to slot the ball into the far post and make the game 1-1. Díaz's strike couldn't be stopped by club companion Alisson Becker and Colombia dominated the end of the first half.
Luis Diaz of Colombia celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 ... More Qualifier match between Brazil and Colombia at Mane Garrincha Stadium on March 20, 2025 in Brasilia, Brazil. (Photo by Adalberto Marques/Eurasia)
Moments later flicks and tricks at the back saw Colombia break out and fly forward on the counter-attack, slicing through Brazil in a complete role-reversal to the start of the game, almost making it 2-1 at the end of the half.
The pace and intensity of the match was one we have come to expect of any high-profile South American fixture. Drama, as always, was also in the air. Moments before half-time Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães was shown a yellow card for a hefty elbow on James Rodríguez.
Minutes into the second half both teams could have scored in the space of 10 seconds as big tackles and even bigger saves meant that the end-to-end action would stay at 1-1 for a little while longer. The pace and power of both sides going forward was outstanding and any possible opponent at next summer's FIFA 2026 World Cup should be very wary of the threat coming from South America. Constant 50-50 battles across the pitch only added to the fervour of this fixture.
Vinicius Junior should have put Brazil 2-1 up 18 minutes into the second period after some wonderful set-up play by Wolves' forward Matheus Cunha. Vini looked to cut the ball back instead of shoot when the goal was gaping. Openings kept coming for both teams and a third goal seemed like it was only a matter of time away.
Colombia's forward #19 Rafael Santos Borre, Brazil's forward #07 Vinicius Jr and Colombia's ... More midfielder #06 Richard Rios fight for the ball next to Colombia's midfielder #16 Jefferson Lerma during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Brazil and Colombia, at the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, on March 20, 2025. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP) (Photo by EVARISTO SA/AFP via Getty Images)
Then, a nasty clash of heads between Liverpool and Brazil star Alisson and Colmbia defender Davinson Sánchez left the centre-back temporarily unconscious and the keeper badly bruised. Both players were badly affected by the knock and left the field of play after a long delay.
A late surge of substitutions and persistent fouling might have seen the game finish 1-1, but then 10 minutes of stoppage time were added and the tale was set for another twist. 8 minutes later Vini Jr cut inside from the left to let a long-range effort fly. The ball deflected into the back of the net and the home crowd exploded.
Eventually, Brazil's dynamic front line had found a second goal, even if it took a little bit of luck. 'Wonderkids' Endrick and Estêvão rushed from the bench to celebrate with the team that also included players as talented as Manchester City's Savinho. The future is bright for the five-time World Cup winners.
Brazil held on to win 2-1 and now face a trip to Argentina for a Tuesday night showdown against the current World champions. Colombia competed well and are still well on track to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Vinicius Junior of Brazil applauds the fans after winning the South American FIFA World Cup 2026 ... More Qualifier match between Brazil and Colombia at Mane Garrincha Stadium on March 20, 2025 in Brasilia, Brazil. (Photo by)
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Tuesday, June 10 Grp Team P W D L GD Pts A Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 Luxembourg 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slovakia 0 0 0 0 0 0 B Kosovo 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slovenia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sweden 0 0 0 0 0 0 Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 C Belarus 0 0 0 0 0 0 Denmark 0 0 0 0 0 0 Greece 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 D Azerbaijan 0 0 0 0 0 0 France 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ukraine 0 0 0 0 0 0 E Bulgaria 0 0 0 0 0 0 Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 F Armenia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rep. of Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 G Poland 2 2 0 0 +3 6 Finland 3 1 1 1 −1 4 Netherlands 1 1 0 0 +2 3 Lithuania 3 0 2 1 −1 2 Malta 3 0 1 2 −3 1 H Bosnia & Herzegovina 3 3 0 0 +3 9 Romania 3 1 0 2 +2 3 Cyprus 2 1 0 1 +1 3 Austria 1 1 0 0 +1 3 San Marino 3 0 0 3 −7 0 I Norway 3 3 0 0 +10 9 Israel 3 2 0 1 +1 6 Italy 2 1 0 1 −1 3 Estonia 3 1 0 2 −2 3 Moldova 2 0 0 2 −6 0 J North Macedonia 4 2 2 0 +4 8 Wales 3 2 1 0 +5 7 Kazakhstan 3 1 0 2 −1 3 Belgium 1 0 1 0 0 1 Liechtenstein 3 0 0 3 −8 0 K England 0 0 0 0 0 0 Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Albania 0 0 0 0 0 0 Latvia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Andorra 0 0 0 0 0 0 L Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Czech Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 Montenegro 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faroe Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gibraltar 0 0 0 0 0 0 Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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