Vinicius Strikes in Stoppage Time as Brazil Claims Victory

In the ninth minute of added time, Vinicius Junior scored a decisive goal, leading Brazil to a 2-1 victory against Colombia in their South American World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

The team, winners of the World Cup five times previously, opened their account in Brasilia just six minutes into the match with a penalty scored by Raphinha. However, Colombia managed to equalize before halftime when Luis Diaz netted an impressive goal in the 41st minute.

Despite facing the greatest amount of pressure during the second half, Colombia was eventually defeated by the decisive goal scored by the Real Madrid forward.

This win puts Brazil in a strong position at second place within the ten-team CONMEBOL qualification group, with only a four-point gap between them and the frontrunners from Argentina, who will be visiting Uruguay this coming Friday.

A foul committed by Daniel Muñoz on Vinícius led to an early penalty for Brazil, which Raphinha calmly converted with a softly taken shot down the middle, giving the host team the advantage right from the start.

However, with just four minutes remaining until halftime, James Rodríguez spotted Liverpool's Díaz on the left flank and the wing player advanced infield before unleashing a shot that nestled in the far, lower corner of the goal.

In the 68th minute, Rodriguez seized an opportunity following a clever maneuver by Colombia, however, Alisson Becker handled the playmaker's attempt rather easily.

Becker, who plays alongside Diaz for Liverpool, had to leave the match due to injury in the 78th minute because of what appeared to be a concussion following a clash with Colombia’s Davinson Sanchez. The incident led to the defender needing to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

Although Colombia maintained most of the offensive control during the match, Brazil still posed a danger. In the 82nd minute, Guilherme Arana narrowly missed scoring with his attempt that went wide.

Alisson's injury led to extended stoppage time, during which Vinicius capitalized by unleashing a powerful shot that grazed a defender’s head before finding the back of the net.

"The aim today is to find some comfort and joy. Being part of the national team is an experience beyond description," stated Vinicius.

Each time we visit, it feels as fresh as the first.

On Tuesday, Brazil will come up against their longtime adversaries Argentina.

It was a bitter ending for a Colombia side who sit in sixth place still with work to do in qualifying.

I believe we confined Brazil mostly to their side of the field; I feel we were entitled to even more today as well. However, that’s how things stand now," stated Colombia’s coach Nestor Lorenzo. "I am quite uncertain regarding some of the referee's calls, though I won’t be elaborating further.

"I bemoaned our performance as we put up an excellent fight but ended up empty-handed once more. Yet again, we let in a goal at the very beginning," he expressed sadly.

During other South American qualifier matches on Thursday, Paraguay secured a 1-0 victory over last-place Chile in Asuncion. This outcome left La Roja anchored at the bottom of the standings.

The experienced 41-year-old forward Paolo Guerrero scored as Peru defeated Bolivia 3-1, moving them out of last place.

Andy Polo scored first in the 37th minute, followed by Guerrero finding the back of the net just as halftime was reached.

Bolivia scored a penalty through Miguel Terceros in the 58th minute, cutting the deficit by one. However, Edison Flores extended their lead by two goals again in the 82nd minute.

On Friday, Ecuador welcomes Venezuela, while Uruguay faces the frontrunners, Argentina.

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