Author: Amrit Santlani
Brazil continued their winning streak in the qualifying rounds for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Veteran defender Marquinhos headed Neymar’s corner into the net in the dying seconds of the match in Lima. The victory kept the Brazilian national team at the top of the South American qualifying group, with six points from two games. Earlier on Friday, Fernando Diniz’s side beat Bolivia 5-1 at home. Argentina also have six points after beating Bolivia 3-0 without Lionel Messi, but are behind Brazil on goal difference.
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Juan Reynoso’s side dominated the first 20 minutes, the hosts creating plenty of chances but failing to test Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson. Richarlison had the first real chance to score, when the striker’s attempted header went close to the goal after Raphinha’s cross.
Just after fifteen minutes, Richarlison put the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, as both Richarlison and Rodrygo, who had provoked the cross, were offside.
Richarlison was heavily involved when the Tottenham striker headed the ball into the net after Bruno Guimarães’ cross, but the goal was again disallowed after a VAR review because the striker was offside.
Just before the end of the first half, Neymar pulled off a brilliant save from Pedro Gallese after a quick exchange of passes between Raphinha and Rodrygo. In the second half, the game saw a lot of stoppages, with the Peruvian players committing many fouls to break the rhythm of the Brazilian team.
Raphinha had a strong shot from 30 meters out just after the hour mark, but Gallese showed excellent reflexes to deflect the ball out for a corner. In the second half, substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put together a good combination, but the latter couldn’t get his header on target and Peru survived again.
In the final minute of regulation time, Neymar delivered a cross that Marquinhos deflected into the goal to finally break the deadlock and spark a huge celebration among his teammates and inside the stadium.
The goal was enough to seal the three points, as the Seleção remain unbeaten under Diniz so far, with two wins from two games. Speaking to reporters after the match, the Brazilian coach highlighted the importance of the set-piece routines his team had been practicing.
“We practiced set-pieces both in Belém and here. Set-pieces define the game, and that was the case today. We scored through persistence. A well struck ball and anticipation at the far post” he added.
The five-time World Cup winners will host Venezuela and travel to Uruguay next month, when the qualifying round resumes.
In the run-up to the game, reports claim that Peruvian shamans tied up an effigy of Neymar in order to “neutralize” the Brazilian talisman. They performed the voodoo with the aim of preventing the number 10 from giving his best. The rituals didn’t pay off, however, as the Al-Hilal striker provided the assist for the winning goal.