Brazil struggled against Colombia, a rising power in Latin America. The five-time world champions had failed to win in their last two encounters (one loss and one draw).
Additionally, Dorival Junior's team was in a precarious position in the World Cup qualifying table. Further challenges arose due to an injury-plagued squad.
However, a stunning late goal from Vinicius Junior secured a thrilling victory for Brazil.
Brazil faced Colombia at the BRB Mane Garrincha Stadium early Friday morning. As both teams are Latin American powerhouses, a closely contested match was anticipated. The game lived up to expectations, delivering plenty of excitement.
Rafael Raphinha, in excellent form, put Brazil ahead with a penalty early in the match. Just before halftime, Luis Diaz equalized for Colombia.
However, in the ninth minute of stoppage time, Vinicius's powerful shot from outside the box sent the home crowd into a frenzy, securing a 2-1 victory. The Seleção entered the match already missing key players like Neymar, Ederson, and Danilo due to injuries.
During the game, Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Gerson also had to leave the field due to injuries. Additionally, ten players were at risk of missing the Argentina match if they received a yellow card, which ultimately happened to Bruno Guimaraes and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Brazil's first goal came courtesy of Vinicius, as he was fouled in the box by Colombian defender Daniel Munoz, resulting in a penalty. Barcelona forward Raphinha converted the spot-kick with a left-footed shot. This marked his fourth goal in his last four appearances for Brazil.
Shortly after, Rodrygo's shot went wide. Amidst back-and-forth attacks, Brazil suffered two setbacks. First, Guimaraes received a yellow card in the 14th minute, ruling him out of the Argentina match. Then, Gerson had to leave the field injured in the 27th minute.
Colombia equalized just four minutes before halftime. Brazil midfielder Joelinton was largely to blame, as he hesitated to shoot after receiving the ball, allowing a Colombian player to challenge him.
The ball then fell to Luis Diaz via James Rodriguez, and the Liverpool forward found the net with a diagonal shot. Diaz had previously scored twice against Brazil in a victory.
In the second half, Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was repeatedly tested by Vinicius and Raphinha, but he stood firm. In the 63rd minute, Colombia thought they had scored, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul on goalkeeper Alisson.
In the 71st minute, Alisson suffered a head injury in a collision with Sanchez, forcing both players to leave the field. Matheus Bento came on to guard the Brazilian goal.
Both teams continued to attack in search of a winning goal. Brazil's Newcastle star Joelinton had a good shot, but it went wide.
In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Brazil defender Guilherme Arana suffered a head injury while attempting a header at the far post. Moments later, Vinicius found the net with a long-range shot from outside the box, which goalkeeper Vargas couldn't reach.
With this victory, Brazil significantly improved their position in the Latin American World Cup qualifying table, moving up to second place with 21 points from 13 matches.
Colombia dropped to sixth place with 19 points from the same number of matches. Argentina leads the table with 25 points from 12 matches, while Uruguay is third with 20 points from the same number of matches.
