On September 10 at 8:30 PM Eastern Time, the 8th round of the South American World Cup qualifiers saw Paraguay achieve a surprising 1–0 victory over Brazil. In a match where the only goal came from a spectacular strike by Gómez, Brazil suffered their fourth defeat in the last five qualifying rounds. Despite the efforts of Real Madrid stars, the Brazilian team could not turn the tide.

Key Moments of the Match

In the 20th minute, Paraguay delivered a cross from the left flank, which was initially cleared out of the penalty area. Gómez adjusted the ball and unleashed a long-range shot with his outside foot, hitting the left post and bouncing into the net, giving Paraguay a 1–0 lead.

In the 25th minute, Brazil’s Endrick passed to Vinícius on the left side of the penalty area, who then delivered a pass to the small area. André’s shot was cleared off the line by Paraguay’s goalkeeper, Adret.

In the 38th minute, Adret was substituted due to injury, with Velázquez taking his place. In the 45th minute, Bobadilla was booked with a yellow card for a foul on Paquetá. In the 45+1 minute, Enciso’s long-range shot was directly caught by the Brazilian goalkeeper. In the 45+5 minute, Paquetá fouled Bobadilla, resulting in another yellow card.

In the second half, Brazil made multiple substitutions to boost their attack but failed to break down Paraguay’s defense. In the 71st minute, Luis Enrique was fouled by Júnior Alonso, who received a yellow card. In the 70th minute, Vinícius’ angled shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 73rd minute, Vinícius’ long-range shot from the left was deflected out of bounds by Gatti Fernandez. In the 78th minute, Paraguay’s tactical corner kick resulted in Bobadilla’s header being deflected out of bounds. In the 90+3 minute, Vinícius was cautioned with a yellow card for dissent.

Line-ups and Substitutions

Paraguay Starting XI:

12-Gatti Fernandez, 6-Júnior Alonso, 3-Adret (37’2-Velázquez), 5-Barbosa, 4-Cáceres, 23-Villasanti, 8-Diego Gómez (66’11-Ramón Sosa), 19-Enciso (85’20-Riveros), 16-Bobadilla, 10-Almirón (86’14-Martínez), 21-Isidro Pita (67’18-Alcides)

Brazil Starting XI:

1-Alisson, 4-Marquinhos, 14-Gabriel, 16-Arana (86’22-Esteban), 2-Danilo, 5-Giménez (46’21-João Pedro), 18-André, 8-Paquetá (79’19-Jeremías), 7-Vinícius, 10-Rodrigo (79’11-Lucas Moura), 9-Endrick (46’20-Luis Enrique)

The result not only makes Brazil’s path to qualification more challenging but also draws significant attention to Paraguay’s performance.