Brazil suffered its fourth defeat in its last five matches in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday night (10), after a goal from Diego Gomez in the first half gave Paraguay a 1-0 victory in Asunción.
Brazil, a five-time world champion, who managed a 1-0 home victory over Ecuador last Friday (6), is in fifth place in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with 10 points, ahead of Venezuela on goal difference.
The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, with the seventh place getting another chance in the playoff qualifiers.
Coach Dorival Jr, who took over from Tite after Brazil’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, looked helpless on the sidelines as his team was completely dominated and even fortunate not to lose by more. Brazil failed to register a shot on goal in the first half.
The justifications for the poor performance of the national team soon emerged:
“The coach is still thinking about the best way for us to play, and that reflects in the result,” said defender Marquinhos to TV Globo. “There are many new players, we are lacking confidence.
“Qualification is not easy, it’s a difficult moment, and we have to know how to manage it. It’s a transitional moment; we are not confident. We will work hard, getting results on the field is the best response,” he added.
Brazil had only three shots on goal in the match, all from a frustrated Vinicius Jr, who has yet to have the same impact on his national team as he has had at his club, Real Madrid.
Dorival admits that the team lost its way
Coach Dorival Júnior acknowledged that the first half of Brazil’s defeat to Paraguay was the worst moment for the national team under his command. The coach also admitted that the team lost its way after conceding the first goal.
“Overall, we need to find balance quickly. We have a positioning, a posture that gives us possession, quick passing, and we lack the most important detail: infiltrations at the final moment to be more incisive and direct. It’s a shame. We worked hard to improve this situation. This ended up compromising our result today, especially in the first half where we left much to be desired,” said Dorival.
Brazil will try to get its campaign back on track next month when it faces Chile and Peru.
Sources: Reuters and UOL