Sept 11 (Askume) – Brazil suffered a fourth defeat in their last five World Cup qualifying games as Paraguay won 1-0 in Asuncion on Tuesday thanks to Diego Gomez’s first-half goal.
The five-time World Cup champions beat Ecuador 1-0 at home on Friday to move into fifth place on 10 points in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, ahead of Venezuela on goal difference.
The top six teams will qualify directly for the World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the seventh-placed team will advance to the next round of qualifying.
Coach Dorival Junior, who replaced Tite after Brazil’s quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup, looked disappointed on the sidelines as his side lost by a big score, but luckily, there is no need for him to win by a big margin.
Brazil failed to score in the first half, with Gomez’s shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 20th minute hitting the post and deflecting past Alisson into the net.
“The coach is still looking for the best way for us to play and that is reflected in the result,” defender Marquinhos told Brazil’s Globo TV. “There are a lot of new players and we lack confidence.
“Promotion is not easy, it is a difficult phase and we have to know how to manage it. It is a period of change and we have no confidence. We have to work hard and get results on the field. The best answer is whether we have to.”
Brazil only had three shots on goal in the game, all of which came from a frustrated Vinicius Junior, who failed to make the same impact for his country as he did for Real Madrid.
Brazil will hope to get their campaign back on track when they host Chile before facing Peru next month.
