Author: Soorya G
Brazil showed their dominance in a 4-1 friendly win over Guinea, with goals from Joelinton, Rodrygo, Eder Militão and Vinicius Junior. The notable highlight of the match was Brazil’s all-black kit during the first half, symbolizing their support for an anti-racism campaign.
This friendly was the first of two games against African nations, organized in solidarity with Real Madrid striker Vinicius. The Brazilian player has been the target of racial abuse on several occasions, including an incident in May during a La Liga match against Valencia. In fact, this season alone, La Liga has reported ten such events involving Vinicius to the prosecutors. Tragically, another alleged racist episode took place in the stadium before the friendly. The Brazilian Football Confederation revealed that the abuse was targeted at Felipe Silveira, Vinicius’ friend and advisor. These incidents highlight the ongoing fight against racism in soccer and the need for collective efforts to combat this problem.
Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton made a remarkable impact on his international debut, opening the scoring in the 26th minute with a point-blank shot. Shortly afterwards, Rodrygo doubled Brazil’s lead with an unstoppable shot after a brilliant run down the right flank. Guinea managed to pull one back through Guirassy Serhou, taking advantage of a momentary distraction by the Brazilian defense in a quick counter-attack. However, Éder Militão quickly restored Brazil’s lead with a top-class header, showing the team’s resilience. Vinicius sealed the win from the penalty spot, putting the ball in the back of the net four minutes before the final whistle.
Both teams started well, with end-to-end soccer in the opening minutes. Lucas Pacqueta tried to find Ayrton Lucas with a clever ball, but the ball sailed over, keeping the score level. Guirassy had the chance to open the scoring for Guinea, but he shot over the bar. However, it wasn’t long before the Seleção found the back of the net through Joelinton, who took advantage of the chaos to score his first goal for Brazil on his debut. Rodrygo, who was fantastic down the right flank, making some excellent runs and picking up a few fouls in the process, was rewarded in the 30th minute, beating four Guinea defenders to score.
Guirassy’s impressive header halved Guinea’s deficit, but Brazil struck back quickly. Lucas Pacqueta delivered a fine cross that found Éder Militão waiting at the back post, and the defender made no mistake, restoring the two-goal lead. Vinicius Jr. would complete the rout just a few minutes before the final whistle, when he was fouled inside the Guinea penalty area. The penalty was awarded to Brazil, and the Real Madrid striker took it masterfully, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Brazil’s comprehensive win in this friendly demonstrated their ability and unity as a team.