Brazil lose 0:1 in Paraguay in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, while world champions Argentina also lose 1:2 in Colombia. However, it was primarily Brazil that came under pressure.
The Brazilians lost with their stars Allison, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. in Asuncion against Paraguay, against whom they had won 4:1 at the Copa America in the summer. The 21-year-old Diego Gomez scored the goal of the day after just 20 minutes with a superb shot from outside the box.
Brazil's Seleção lost for the fourth time in the eight rounds of this campaign. Brazil have won just one of their last six World Cup qualifiers, a meagre 1-0 victory over Ecuador last weekend.
"Qualifying is not easy, it's a difficult time and we need to know how to deal with it. It's a time of transition and we lack confidence," said Marquinhos after the final whistle.
Brazil dropped to 5th place in the rankings. Six teams qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup; the team in 7th place can also still qualify via a play-off. The teams in 4th (Ecuador) to 8th (Bolivia) are separated by just two points.
Colombia avenges Copa defeat
Colombia beat Argentina 2:1 in Barranquilla in the South American top-of-the-table clash, taking revenge on the world champions for their 1:0 defeat in the Copa America final last summer. Colombia also remain the only unbeaten team in South America in World Cup qualifying (4 wins, 4 draws). However, Argentina (18 points) remain top of the table ahead of Colombia (16) and Uruguay (15).
Yerson Mosquera and Daniel Munoz (with a penalty after VAR intervention) scored the two for Colombia. Nicolas Gonzalez equalized for Argentina in between.
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