Quito: Brazil had to be content with a 1-1 draw against Ecuador after Felix Torres’s header canceled Casemiro’s strike in a remarkable World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
In an event-filled clash, both sides sent off a player within the first 20 minutes, and Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson showed a red card on only two occasions, which were both rescinded after consultation with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). .
Ecuador would be saddened by the closure of a goal and two penalty awards canceled by VAR – including one in second-half stoppage time – but Torres was just rewarded for his resilience when he headed home from a corner .
Casemiro had put Brazil ahead after five minutes when he hit home from close range after a roundmouth scuffle.
This was followed by a red card for Ecuadorian goalkeeper Alexandre Dominguez after 15 minutes for a reckless challenge, after Brazilian fullback Emerson Royal was dismissed five minutes later for a second yellow card after a clumsy challenge.
Five-time world champions Brazil has already qualified for this year’s final in Qatar along with Argentina, who will play Chile later on Thursday.
Ecuador is third in the 10-nation South American qualifying standings with 24 points from 15 games, seven points ahead of Colombia and Peru, who have a game in hand.
The top four automatically qualify for the World Cup while the fifth-placed team advances to the playoffs with a team from the Asian Confederation.
exciting competition
Ecuador’s match against Brazil was weak and flowy but thrilling throughout the round, especially in the opening half-hour.
Already a goal down, Ecuadorian keeper Dominguez was shown a red card for the hour mark after Matthias Cunha fell on the edge of the box for a neck-high challenge.
But moments later the numbers were still up when Brazilian full back Emerson Royal, who was shown yellow for a strong challenge in the first minute, got second for a clumsy interference.
Goalkeeper Alisson looked to be the third player to be dismissed after 25 minutes, but after a long delay, Colombian referee Wilmer Roldan overturned the decision.
Ecuador, on a home pitch where they had won 16 of their 23 points before Thursday, deserved a full draw against a Brazilian defense that looked shaky throughout.
They thought they could snatch all three points when they were awarded a penalty in stoppage time when Alisson dropped Ayrton Precido in an attempt to clear the ball and was shown a red card again.
But after consulting VAR, the referee overturned the penalty award and the red card, angering home fans as Brazil extended their unbeaten run in the World Cup qualifiers to 31 games they scored from 1954 to 1993. To complete the South American record.
At the bottom, Venezuela is the only team out of the race to qualify, with the majority of teams still playing four games.
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