September 05, (THEWILL) — Brazil claimed a commanding 3-0 victory over Chile at the Maracana Stadium in their final home World Cup qualifying fixture, extending their winning streak against La Roja to six consecutive matches.
The five-time world champions, already guaranteed their place at the 2026 finals, dominated proceedings against opponents who had no realistic path to qualification for the North American tournament.
The Selecao controlled the opening exchanges but struggled to convert early pressure into goals, with Gabriel Magalhaes denied by goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux and Casemiro having a strike ruled offside.
Chile responded with their best chance of the half when Ben Brereton Díaz broke clear of the defence, only for Marquinhos to recover and prevent a certain goal, though the striker was subsequently flagged offside.
Brazil’s persistence paid dividends in the 38th minute when Estevao produced an acrobatic finish after the ball rebounded favourably off Vigouroux’s save from Raphinha’s initial attempt.
Chile threatened briefly through Paulo Diaz’s header in first-half stoppage time, but the visitors could not find an equaliser despite their disciplined defensive display.
Carlo Ancelotti’s substitutions transformed the contest in the second period, with Luiz Henrique providing the catalyst for Brazil’s decisive breakthrough.
The winger’s clever run and cross found Lucas Paqueta, who headed home shortly after his introduction, before Henrique’s shot struck the crossbar and fell perfectly for Bruno Guimaraes to complete the scoring four minutes later.
The result maintains Ancelotti’s perfect start as Brazil coach, with three wins and no goals conceded since taking charge.
Brazil need only a draw against Bolivia in their final qualifier to guarantee a top-four finish, whilst Chile must defeat Uruguay to avoid finishing bottom of the qualification group after managing just one point from their last five matches.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
