Sao Paolo: A 72-minute goal from Lucas Paqueta saw Brazil beat Colombia narrowly by 1-0 as the Selecao became the first team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 to be held in Qatar. The win marked their 10th consecutive game at home without conceding.
🇧🇷 Congratulations Brazil 👏👏👏
👑 The five-time #WorldCup champs become the first South American nation to win their way to Qatar 2022 ✈️🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/WCeKIWT1hi
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 12, 2021
The encounter was rather a physical one on the rainy surface that produced as high as 44 fouls and 7 yellow cards. The first half was devoid of any forward movements for either of the side except William Barrios and Duvan Zapata’s shots going over the bar and Danilo’s shot going offside while Marquinhos’ header went wide.
The introduction of Vinicius Jr, and Ajax forward Antony in the second half, brought the game more into the control of the Selecao and it took a moment for Paqueta to shoot home a sublime Neymar Jr pass from inside the box in the 72nd minute.
Brazil now winning 11 out of their 12 matches sit at the top of the South American qualifier table with 34 points becoming the first team to qualify for FIFA World Cup 2022.
However, their opponents Colombia will need a positive result in their next game to secure a playoff spot for the tournament.
In other matches of the day, a howler by Paraguayan custodian Antony Silva from an Alexis Sanchez corner, saw Chile secure a 1-0 win. While Ecuador got a home win over Venezuela by the identical scoreline, with Peiro Hincapie scoring the lone goal of the tie.
