Brazil narrowly beat Paraguay, setting a record of qualifying for all 23 World Cup finals

(NLDO) - Vinicius Junior scored the only goal to help Brazil defeat Paraguay 1-0 at home in Sao Paulo, officially winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals.

World Cup qualifying has never been a pain for Brazil, the team that holds the record for participating in all World Cup finals since 1930 and is also the team that holds the record for most world championships.

The "Selecao" played with poor form, at times falling to 5th place in the South American qualifying round. When coach Tite left after the 2022 World Cup, Brazil changed 3 different coaches within 3 years but the results were still incredibly sluggish.

Even the debut of veteran captain Carlo Ancelotti ended with Brazil sharing points with Ecuador in the match a few days ago.

Raphinha returns, Brazil has more attacking solutions

However, things went more smoothly for Brazil in the early morning match of June 11 at Sao Paulo Stadium when they hosted Paraguay in the 16th round of the South American zone. Coach Carlo Ancelotti used an attacking squad with notable names such as Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, Martinelli and especially Matheus Cunha - a new player from Man United.

Brazil pressed from the start of the match, creating many clear opportunities but encountered Paraguay's disciplined and committed defense.

Matheus Cunha missed the chance to open the scoring with a mistimed header in the 35th minute, while the visitors almost caused a surprise when Caceres' shot went wide of the post in the 27th minute.

Cunha and Vinivius Junior after the opening goal

It was not until the 44th minute that the deadlock was broken. From Cunha's cross from the right wing, Vinicius Jr. swooped in and finished accurately, scoring the opening goal of the match.

In the second half, Brazil continued to dominate the ball but could not double the gap, although Bruno Guimarães had a dangerous shot that forced a Paraguayan defender to save right on the goal line. Ancelotti brought Gerson and other experienced players onto the field, mainly to maintain the game and preserve the score.

Brazil completed the target one round early

The 1-0 result helped Brazil gain 25 points after 16 matches, temporarily ranking 3rd in the qualifying round and officially winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, the tournament will take place in three North American countries: the US, Canada and Mexico.

This is also Brazil's first victory under coach Carlo Ancelotti, more meaningful as the victory happened on the Italian strategist's 66th birthday.

Brazil holds many World Cup records

According to statistics, Brazil had a ball possession rate of up to 72%, making 107 passes in the final third of the field in the first half - the second highest number in the entire qualifying campaign. Vinicius Jr. continued to show his luck against Paraguay, scoring 3/7 goals for the national team against this team in just the past 12 months.

Raphinha was the player with the most crosses in the match (11 times), bringing his total number of crosses in the qualifying round to 69 - third behind Yeferson Soteldo (Venezuela) and James Rodríguez (Colombia).

With the victory over Paraguay, the Brazilian team extended its record as the only team to participate in all 23 FIFA World Cups.

Meanwhile, Paraguay dropped to 5th place with 24 points, still having a chance to win a play-off ticket but will have to face Ecuador in the next match at home.

Argentina, having already secured their ticket, did not try too hard in the 1-1 draw with Colombia. Uruguay closed in on a ticket to the final round thanks to a 2-0 win over Venezuela, with 24 points. Paraguay is also in a similar position with 24 points, and will almost certainly advance with Uruguay if they can get at least a draw in the final match.

Thus, the South American region now has 3 teams that have qualified: Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil. Peru (12 points) and Chile (10 points) are the two teams that have officially been eliminated despite having one final match left.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/brazil-thang-chat-vat-paraguay-lap-ky-luc-du-du-23-vck-world-cup-196250611131113097.htm