- Brazil’s qualifying winning streak, dating back to 2015, has ended
- Eduard Bello’s overhead kick earned Venezuela a draw on Thursday
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ” Everything starts ! »
A superb overhead kick from Eduard Bello helped Venezuela hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw and give Argentina an early advantage in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
After Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 to make it three wins from three, Brazil were seemingly on course to equal that record when Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes met Neymar’s corner with a bullet header at the 50th minute – his first international goal.
But after Brazil missed several chances and Vinicius Junior had a goal disallowed for offside, Bello responded to a Jefferson Savarino cross in the 85th minute with an acrobatic finish to equalize.
This ended Brazil’s winning streak in World Cup qualifying, stretching back 15 matches to 2015. It was also the first time Brazil failed to beat Venezuela at home.
Brazil’s next qualifier is a tough trip to Uruguay next Tuesday.
Gabriel Magalhaes (left) celebrates scoring his first international goal for Brazil against Venezuela
The Arsenal defender headed home after Neymar’s corner during the World Cup qualifier.
Eduard Bello’s overhead kick earned Venezuela an unexpected late draw
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“Now we have to keep our heads high and think about Uruguay. We wanted to attack them, they wanted to defend and we couldn’t break them like we wanted,” Brazilian captain Casemiro said after the match.
They had already scored victories against Peru and Bolivia in the qualifying section of the marathon for the 2026 tournament, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The top six nations from the 10-team group will automatically qualify after the World Cup is expanded to 48 teams, while the seventh-placed team will compete in the inter-confederation play-offs.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi came off the bench as Argentina beat Paraguay thanks to an early goal from Nicolas Otamendi.
The only goal of the match at the Monumental Stadium in Nunez came in the third minute after a corner kick which kept Otamendi scoreless in the penalty area. The defender volleyed the ball into the net with his left foot.
Messi, 36, suffered muscle pain in his right leg that kept him sidelined for several matches at his club Inter Miami.
Coach Lionel Scaloni chose Nico Gonzalez to replace him. The star replaced Julian Alvarez in the 52nd minute.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to help Argentina win 1-0 against Paraguay in qualifying.
Messi hit the post after a corner 10 minutes after walking onto the pitch at Buenos Aires’ Monumental de Nuñez stadium, but his other efforts at dribbling and giving through passes failed.
A free kick from the same spot where he scored the winner against Ecuador in September raised hopes among Argentina fans shortly before the final whistle, but Messi’s shot hit the right post.
“I’m very calm when we have Leo on the pitch,” midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said after the match. “We are at a very good level. We feel comfortable with the way we play.
New Paraguay coach Daniel Garnero made his debut against Argentina, and his team showed little offensive power. The 54-year-old coach took over from Guillermo Barros Schelotto last month after the first two qualifiers.
Nicolas Otamendi scored the decisive goal in Buenos Aires to put Argentina at the top of the group.
Messi missed four MLS matches for his club as well as the US Open Cup final. He played 10 minutes Saturday in Inter Miami’s 1-0 loss to Cincinnati.
He also missed Argentina’s 3-0 win over Bolivia in another World Cup qualifier in September.
Ecuador beat Bolivia in La Paz 2-1 with a goal in the final moments of the match.
Kendry Paéz scored for the visitors shortly before the break and Rodrigo Ramallo equalized in the 83rd minute. Kevin Rodriguez gave Ecuador their first three points in qualifying.
Chile beat Peru 2-0. Diego Valdéz scored first in the 74th minute and an own goal from Marcos López finished off the scoring in added time.