Brazil defeated Colombia 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Sao Paulo on Thursday, becoming the first South American team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Brazil now leads the 10-team South American group with 34 points from 12 games, nine more than Argentina, which is in second place. The top four teams will automatically qualify for Qatar 2022, while the fifth-placed team will compete in an inter-regional playoff. Colombia can play it close at times, so we needed to use all of the tools we have at our disposal, said Brazilian defender Marquinhos, emphasizing their progress in the second 45 minutes.
Our team was smart, and we were able to capitalize on gaps that opened up in the second half to create additional chances. Brazil’s winning streak in qualifications now stands at 11, a South American record. Another record was broken in the encounter, as it was their tenth successive home qualifier without surrendering a goal. The meeting in Sao Paulo was a tough one, with neither side imposing themselves in a rainy game that produced 44 fouls and seven yellow cards.
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Wilmar Barrios and Duvan Zapata both saw attempts for Colombia fly over the crossbar in the first half, while Danilo saw a deflected drive come against the side. In the second half, Brazil made several aggressive changes, including the introduction of Matheus Cunha, Vinicus Jr., and Ajax winger Antony, but it took a moment of magic from Paqueta to determine the game when he collected a pass from Neymar and shot home from just inside the box.
Brazil already has an unassailable lead in the World Cup after winning 11 of their first 12 matches. After winning only one of their first ten qualifiers, Chile has now won three in a row, and their victory on Thursday moved them into a tie for fourth place with Colombia and Uruguay, who face Argentina on Friday.
