 "Vinicius Junior scores last-gasp screamer as Brazil beat Colombia in World Cup qualifiers; watch video")
Vinicius Junior scored a late goal as Brazil secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Colombia on Thursday in the absence of Neymar. Brazil looked destined for a third consecutive draw when Vinicius scored the winner nine minutes into added time in the South American World Cup qualifiers.
Earlier, Raphinha gave Brazil the lead in the sixth minute in the capital Brasilia before Luis Diaz scored the equaliser.
Brazil climb to second spot in South American qualifying
The victory lifted Brazil to second in South American qualifying with 21 points, four behind leaders Argentina and one ahead of Uruguay in third, both of whom have a game in hand and will clash on Friday.
The top six qualify directly for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the seventh place offering passage via further rounds of qualifiers.
The five-time World Cup champions started strong and grabbed the lead within six minutes through a Raphinha penalty after Vinicius Jr was fouled inside the box by Daniel Munoz.
But Brazil hit a wall after that and other than an angled strike from Rodrygo that sailed wide of the post in the 13th minute, they couldn’t create any real scoring opportunities.
They were also exposed to regular counterattacks with Colombia constantly threatening goalkeeper Alisson’s box.
In the 40th minute, James Rodriguez pounced on a lapse in concentration from Newcastle midfielder Joelinton, taking possession on the edge of the box and finding Diaz who fired into the bottom right corner to equalise.
Brazil came back livelier after the break and Vinicius Jr forced a fine save from Camilo Vargas with an early strike for inside the box.
But the pressure to find a goal appeared to take the wind out of their sails and as they wasted one chance after another, manager Dorival Jr, who took the job a year ago, grew increasingly forlorn on the sidelines.
His despair turned to joy in the dying moments when Vinicius unleashed a curling strike from the edge of the box that evaded Vargas’ and found the back of the net.
WHAT A GOAL VINICIUS IN THE LAST MINUTES OF THE GAME TO WIN THE MATCH FOR BRAZIL 🤯🇧🇷
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) March 21, 2025
https://t.co/MqvZdcQg0V
Brazil will now travel to face old rivals Argentina on Tuesday in a game where they will be without Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, both suspended after receiving yellow cards against Colombia.
With agency inputs
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