Goals: Brazil—Willian 31’
Recap: More than 35,000 were on hand to witness Brazil capture a 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday.
Set-piece magic allowed the five-time World Cup champions to open the affair in the first half. A delicately chipped ball from Neymar landed safely at the feet of an unmarked Willian. The 26-year-old left zero doubts with his finish. Ecuador’s patient build-up failed to find the final penetrating pass, allowing Brazil to uncomfortably depart MetLife Stadium with a victory.
Key Moment: Ecuador’s best chance to equalize was denied by Filipe Luis. A superb run from Juan Carlos Paredes culminated in an inch-perfect cross in the 61st minute. A towering header from Enner Valencia redirected it toward goal. Luis redirected it off the line and toward safety.
Man of the Match: The physicality of Tuesday’s match required impeccable work ethic and defensive bite from Brazil’s Luiz Gustavo. The 27-year-old lived up to the task for 74 minutes.
Lesson Learned: This lesson should’ve been learned during Brazil’s 1-0 victory over Colombia on Thursday, but it rang true once again in East Rutherford, New Jersey: There are no friendlies in CONMEBOL. For 90 minutes, two South American rivals treated the action more like a World Cup qualifier than anything else. Twenty-six fouls were committed. Attack-minded and proactive football was played. It’s all about pride in CONMEBOL.
For all of Neymar’s ridiculous talent, even he isn’t immune to missing a sitter. Believe it or not: https://t.co/YirxZHjei8
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) September 10, 2014
Up Next: Ecuador returns home to meet with Colombia on Oct. 8, while Brazil travels to Beijing to face Argentina on Oct. 10.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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