Heading into the match, Brazil was behind Ecuador in the World Cup Qualifying standings. New Brazil coach, Dorvial, had in all honesty inherited a mess from his predecessor, Fernando Diniz, who desperately struggled to get results with the canary and blue. Brazil’s matches under Dorvial at the Copa America were an improvement and they were looking to make another statement at home against Ecuador.
Both Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior started the match with Endrick on the bench and Militao pulling out through injury. The two Madrid forwards enjoyed different performances. Rodrygo was excellent. Playing as a false nine, he choose his moments appropriately on when best to drop into midfield and connect play and when to hold high and stretch the Ecuador defense. With the #10 on his back, it was Rodrygo that stepped up and scored the lone goal for Brazil. From outside the box, around 20 to 25 yards from goal, Rodrygo beats his man off the dribble and creates enough seperation to unleash a shot that rattles off the post and into the back of the net. Ecuador’s goalkeeper, Galindez, was caught flat-footed given the speed at which Rodrygo executed.
Rodrygo finished the game with a goal, 2 key passes, 3 completed dribbles, was fouled 3 times, and won 6/8 ground duels. It was a statement match to show that he is a leader of this Brazil team and likely show his dismay at not being named in the Balon D’Or top 30.
Vinicius Junior was not as impactful. The winger oftentimes picked up the ball at the halfway line and had to carry some 40 yards before he was in a more dangerous area of the pitch. Dorvial should look to conserve his energy and get Vini the ball higher up the field, much like Ancelotti did last season. He finished the match with fewer touches than Rodrygo despite playing in a position with higher frequency of involvement. He managed 1 shot and 0 completed dribbles. Still more to come from Vini in a Brazil shirt and he will look to rectify with his performance against Paraguay on Tuesday.
With the 1-0 victory, Brazil leapfrogged Ecuador and moved into 4th in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying standings with 10 points. They are 3 points behind Colombia in third and a massive 8 points behind Argentina in first. The top six teams from CONMEBOL qualify with the seventh place team moving to a playoff. There are ten teams in total with Bolivia, Chile, and Peru currently sitting outside the top seven.