Brazil Overcomes Ecuador, Suarez Bids Farewell in Goalless Draw

Rodrygo, the Real Madrid forward, netted the lone goal as Brazil revitalized their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Ecuador on Friday. The match took place at the Major Antônio Couto Pereira Stadium in Curitiba, Brazil.

Rodrygo’s deflected shot in the 30th minute proved decisive, lifting Brazil from sixth to fourth place in the South American qualifiers, now holding 10 points from seven matches. Despite this victory, Brazil still trails Argentina, the current leaders, by eight points.

The 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will feature an expanded format with 48 teams. The top six teams from South America will automatically qualify, while the seventh-placed team will enter a playoff for a spot.

Brazil has had a difficult run in recent international competitions, including their quarter-final exit in the 2022 World Cup and failure to advance beyond the last eight in this year’s Copa America. Their struggles continued against Ecuador, where despite dominating possession, Brazil managed only three shots on target.

The breakthrough came when Rodrygo received the ball near the edge of the box, took a touch, and struck from 25 yards out. His shot, which took a deflection off Ecuador’s Willian Pacho, clipped the post and went in, sealing the victory.

– Suarez’s Emotional Farewell Ends in Stalemate –

Elsewhere in South American qualifiers, Luis Suarez’s farewell to international football ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw between Uruguay and Paraguay in Montevideo. Suarez, 37, announced earlier in the week that he was retiring from international duty after a stellar 17-year career, during which he became Uruguay’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in 143 appearances.

Before the match, Suarez was honored with a ceremony on the field, accompanied by his family and a special tribute video from his close friend Lionel Messi. In an emotional address, Suarez told fans, “Uruguay is bigger than any player. Starting tomorrow, I will be just another fan.”

Despite enjoying 65% of the possession, Uruguay struggled to break through Paraguay’s defense in a game filled with 24 fouls. Suarez, now playing in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami, was shown a yellow card in his final international appearance, as were three other Uruguay players.

Uruguay remains in second place in the qualifiers with 14 points from seven games, four points behind Argentina.

Meanwhile, in another qualifier on Friday, Colombia managed to salvage a 1-1 draw against Peru in Lima, thanks to a late equalizer from Liverpool’s Luis Diaz. After Alexander Callens had put Peru ahead in the 68th minute, Diaz found the back of the net from close range eight minutes from time, ensuring Colombia remains in third place with 13 points from seven matches.