Vinícius' Missed Penalty Leaves Brazil Disappointed in Draw

Vinícius Júnior's return to the team after an injury didn’t bring the joy he had hoped for, as Brazil was left disappointed. Much like missing out on the Ballon d’Or, Vinícius missed a crucial penalty, leaving the Seleção with only a single point from a game against the weaker Venezuelan side.

It wasn’t just the missed penalty; he squandered several other easy chances to score. Despite dominating the entire match, the five-time World Cup champions left frustrated, with many Brazilian fans blaming Vinícius’ poor finishing.

Still, Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Romo’s impressive performance deserves recognition. The 34-year-old goalie saved the penalty and made several key saves throughout the game.

In this 11th World Cup qualifier match, Brazil started aggressively against Venezuela. However, Vinícius and his teammates repeatedly missed chances. In the 9th minute, after entering the box in a one-on-one situation, Vinícius failed to shoot and passed to Raphinha, who then sent the ball over the crossbar. In the 14th minute, Gerson took a powerful shot in the box, but it was off-target.

In the 22nd minute, Vinícius missed another easy chance. This time, he could partially blame luck. Receiving a pass in the box, he stretched to tap it toward the goal, but the ball hit the post. Seconds later, Gerson’s powerful shot from outside the box was brilliantly saved by Romo.

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Gradually, Venezuela began to organize and counter-attack. In the 28th minute, Ederson nearly created trouble with a misplaced pass but managed to prevent Venezuela’s shot in a one-on-one position. In the 40th minute, Savinho missed another chance in the Venezuelan box. Finally, in the 43rd minute, Brazil saw success when Raphinha’s curling shot from just outside the box hit the far corner of the net, with Romo unable to reach it.

Brazil entered halftime with a one-goal lead. However, Venezuela stunned them immediately after the break. Substitute Telasco Segovia fired a powerful shot from a Savarino pass, beating Ederson.

Vinícius, however, proved the biggest disappointment for Brazil. In the 59th minute, he broke into the box down the left, but the Venezuelan goalkeeper tackled him. The referee awarded a penalty after a VAR check. But the Real Madrid winger failed to convert the spot-kick, missing a follow-up chance to score as well.

Just before the 90-minute mark, Venezuela went down to 10 men. At the end of the match, an unexpected incident occurred. In the final two minutes of added time, the stadium’s sprinklers were suddenly turned on. Brazil’s players protested, and Brazil’s assistant coach received a red card. After the sprinklers were turned off, the referee resumed play, but Brazil couldn’t capitalize.

After 11 matches, Brazil currently sits third in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with 17 points from five wins and two draws. Venezuela is in seventh place with 12 points. Argentina tops the standings with 22 points from one less match.

Brazil’s next qualifier will be on November 20 against a strong Uruguay team, currently fourth with 16 points from 10 matches.