Vinícius Jr. Secures Last-Minute Win for Brazil Over Colombia in World Cup Qualifier
Vinícius Jr. scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner in the 99th minute, sealing a 2-1 victory for Brazil over Colombia in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Playing at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília, Brazil took an early lead when Raphinha converted a penalty in the sixth minute after Daniel Muñoz fouled Vinícius in the box. Colombia equalized in the 41st minute through Luis Díaz, who slotted home a low shot after receiving a pass from captain James Rodríguez.
Despite Colombia’s dominance in the second half, five-time world champions Brazil clinched all three points when Vinícius fired a powerful strike from outside the box. The shot deflected off Jefferson Lerma’s head, slightly altering its trajectory and deceiving goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Brazil suffered a setback when goalkeeper Alisson Becker was forced off in the 78th minute with a concussion following a collision with Colombian defender Davinson Sánchez, who had to be stretchered off.
With this win, Brazil now sits second in the combined South American qualifiers table with 21 points, trailing Argentina by four. Argentina faces a tough away match against third-placed Uruguay (20 points) on Friday.
Colombia, now in sixth place with 19 points, fell behind Paraguay, who defeated last-placed Chile 1-0 in Asunción.
Elsewhere, Peru climbed off the bottom of the standings with a 3-1 home victory over Bolivia, leapfrogging Chile. Veteran striker Paolo Guerrero (41) was among the scorers, while Andy Polo and Edison Flores also found the net for Peru.
The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup, while the seventh-placed team must go through an intercontinental playoff. Ecuador, penalized three points due to the falsification of Byron Castillo’s birth documents in the previous qualifiers, hosts Venezuela on Friday.
