4 days ago
Carlo Ancelotti's debut as Brazil coach ends in lacklustre draw against Ecuador
Carlo Ancelotti had a lacklustre debut as the new Brazil national team coach as his side were held to a 0-0 draw by Ecuador in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, June 5. The result has already put Ancelotti under pressure after taking over the job as his tenure with Real Madrid came to an end. Brazil struggled to break down the organised defence but did have a few chances in the first half. The clearest one was from Vinicius Jr., whose shot following a pass from Gerson was stopped by the Ecuadorian goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle. In the second half, Ecuador threatened to score when John Yeboah attempted a through ball but Nilson Angulo was caught offside. advertisementBrazil continued to create better chances on the night but failed to capitalise as Richarlison squandered a golden chance and Casemiro's long-range effort was saved by Valle.
Casemiro said after the game that the team is getting better and hailed the dressing room environment. "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, as quoted by Jr. said that Ancelotti hasn't shown them his entire game plan yet and they have had only two or three days of training with the Italian coach. "Ancelotti hasn't had time to show us his game plan yet. It's only been two or three days of training," Vinicius remain in fourth spot in the World Cup qualifier standings with 22 points, while Ecuador remain in second with 24. Brazil will face Paraguay next, who earlier on beat Uruguay 2-0. Argentina leads the way with 34 points after beating Chile 1-0. Trending Reel
