Brazil made a lot of technical errors and repeated poor performances seen in other games of the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup
There was an expectation of a ‘new’ Brazilian National Team in the debut of coach Carlo Ancelotti, but we saw more of the same in the 0-0 draw with Ecuador, this Thursday (5/6), in the 15th round of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Lacking creativity and with many technical errors, Brazil did not come close to winning at the Monumental Stadium in Guayaquil.
The first half was played without much excitement. Brazil had difficulty creating offensive plays, but managed to control the Ecuadorians’ attacks. The second half was dominated by Ecuador, which did not suffer defensively and almost always had possession of the ball in attack. However, the home team was unable to pose much threat to Alisson’s goal, leaving the score unchanged. With the result, Ecuador remains in second place in the South American Qualifiers, now with 24 points. The Brazilian National Team is in fourth, with 22.
Ecuador returns to the field this Tuesday (10/6), starting at 10:30 pm (Brasília time), to face Peru. The duel will be at the National Stadium in Lima. Brazil plays on the same day, but at 9:45 pm (Brasília time), against Paraguay, at the Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo. Both games will be for the 16th round of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Brazil started the match with an aggressive stance against Ecuador’s ball release, trying to regain possession on the attacking bench. The home team, when they managed to overcome the Brazilian pressure, opted to explore the flanks of the field. When starting plays from the defensive half, the team found it difficult to exchange passes, with a large distance between the midfielders and the attackers. Up front, Vini Jr. and Estêvão positioned themselves wide, with Richarlison on the inside. Although Brazil had control of the game from the middle of the first half, having created at least two dangerous chances, Ecuador balanced the action close to the break. La Tri, however, failed to even scare goalkeeper Alisson.
Ecuador returned from the break putting pressure on Brazil’s defenders, who at times gave possession to the opponents. Faced with several technical errors, Carlo Ancelotti’s team had difficulty continuing the plays. Unlike what happened in the first half, Brazil did not dominate the action at any point in the second half. What we saw was the home team having possession in the attacking half, but, once again, failing to create any great chances. Thus, with the Brazilian national team ineffective and Ecuador struggling to score, Ancelotti’s debut as Brazil coach ended in a 0-0 draw.
