Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is their undisputed star in attack, while Colombia have a lovely balance of youth and experience in their squad. Veterans David Ospina, James Rodriguez and Yerry Mina are still leading the way, while Jhon Duran, Daniel Munoz, Davinson Sanchez and Jefferson Lerma are all names Premier League fans know well. Brazil’s murky qualifying run for the 2026 World Cup got a late and big lift on Thursday, when Vinicius Junior’s goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time boosted the hosts to a 2-1 win over Colombia. Instead, Brazil moved to second spot behind Argentina after Vinicius Júnior’s long-range goal.
Neymar was recalled for this window following his return to Santos but has since pulled out of the squad due to another injury, so the likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Raphinha will once again lead the attack. With Alisson in goal, Gabriel at center back, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Matheus Cunha in midfield, there are so many familiar faces for Premier League fans with nine PL players in this 23-man Brazil squad. The top six teams in South America are guaranteed spots at next year’s World Cup in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and so the victory released some pressure on Brazil coach Dorival Júnior ahead of next week’s game against Argentina. But Dorival Junior has gone for plenty of new names in this window with Nottingham Forest’s Murillo hoping to win his first cap at center back, plus Brighton’s Joao Pedro is in line to add to his two caps.
Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães and defender Gabriel Magalhães were booked against 1win colombia and will miss the match in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad has 25 points after 12 games — four points clear of Brazil (21 points from 13 games) — and is close to securing its place in the 2026 World Cup. There were 10 minutes stoppage time declared thanks to a long injury lay-off, and Brazil make the most of it. Brazil’s 21 points are now good for second on the table, eight more than seventh-place Bolivia with five matches each to play.
But the pressure to find a goal appeared to take the wind out of their sails and as they wasted one chance after another, manager Dorival Jr, who took the job a year ago, grew increasingly forlorn on the sidelines. In the 40th minute, James Rodriguez pounced on a lapse in concentration from Newcastle midfielder Joelinton, taking possession on the edge of the box and finding Diaz who fired into the bottom right corner to equalise. Both teams struggled with accuracy in the second half until Vinicius Júnior took a shot from long distance which deflected off Jefferson Lerma and beat goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Colombia are at home against Paraguay after this game and know two positive results will go a long way in booking their ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Brazil appeared more energized than in previous games, with speed, high skill and an early goal from the spot suggesting that coach Dorival Júnior had found a starting lineup to get the job done. The five-time World Cup champions started strong and grabbed the lead within six minutes through a Raphinha penalty after Vinicius Jr was fouled inside the box by Daniel Munoz. As for Colombia, well, they’re one point and one place above Brazil in the table and are looking good to qualify for their first World Cup since 2018 as they missed out making it to Qatar in 2022.
The top-six teams in CONMEBOL automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the seventh will play in the inter-confederation playoffs. His despair turned to joy in the dying moments when Vinicius unleashed a curling strike from the edge of the box that evaded Vargas’ and found the back of the net. The victory lifted Brazil to second in South American qualifying with 21 points, four behind leaders Argentina and one ahead of Uruguay in third, both of whom have a game in hand and will clash on Friday. Jefferson Lerma quickly gets the ball to his captain James Rodriguez, who gets another assist when he sets up Liverpool star Luis Diaz for a fine finish from the left of the Brazil box. Shot attempts are 6-4 for Colombia and 10-8 for the visitors in a typically fierce half between these CONMEBOL rivals.
Wolves duo Andre and Matheus Cunha could line up alongside Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton in midfield as there is a heavy Premier League feel to this squad. Brazil will be hoping to get at least four points from their games against Colombia and Argentina in this window to cement themselves in the automatic qualification spots. They need the trio of Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Raphinha to deliver in attack to get them over the line. Paraguay remained unbeaten under coach Gustavo Alfaro with a tense 1-0 win over Chile in front of raucous fans in Asuncion.
To continue, upgrade to a supported browser or, for the finest experience, download the mobile app. Brazil came back livelier after the break and Vinicius Jr forced a fine save 1win colombia from Camilo Vargas with an early strike for inside the box.
SAO PAULO — A last-minute goal by Vinicius Júnior has secured Brazil’s 2-1 win over Colombia in World Cup qualifying and helped his team avoid more disappointment. Instead, Brazil moved to second spot behind Argentina after Vinicius Júnior’s long-range goal. The top six teams are guaranteed spots at next year’s World Cup in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The victory released some pressure on Brazil coach Dorival Júnior ahead of Tuesday’s game at Argentina. Dorival Junior’s side have won just five of their 12 CONMEBOL qualifiers so far, as they have a five-point cushion over seventh-place.
The hosts dominated most of the match and maintained pressure on their rivals, who could barely create scoring opportunities. After that, Brazil kept possession, but didn’t put on real pressure to add a second in front of 70,000 fans. SAO PAULO (AP) — A last-minute goal by Vinicius Júnior secured Brazil’s 2-1 win over Colombia in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, helping his team and millions of fans avoid more disappointment. Los Cafeteros were going really well early in qualifying but three defeats in their last four games has seen them drop down the standings. Still, they’re looking good for automatic qualification and with Duran, Diaz and James in attack, they are very dangerous and have a great mix of speed, trickery and power. Defensively they have plenty of experience and they will dig in and make this very tough for Brazil and look to the likes of Diaz to create chances on the counter.
