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Brazil overcame a petulent Colombia side 1-0 in Sao Paulo in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to officially confirm their place in the Qatar showpiece.
Lucas Paqueta scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute from a Neymar assist, as Los Cafeteros drew another blank. It was a highly physical affair once again, with fouls and nasty challenges flying in from both ends, especially from the visitors.
The physicality severely affected the rhythm of the match but Brazil's superior quality eventually shone through.
The victory puts the Selecao nine points clear at the top of the table for now, although Argentina can cut the gap to six again by beating Uruguay in their match. Meanwhile, Colombia have dropped down to fifth place.
Here are the major talking points from the match:
#5 Another ugly clash filled with cynical fouls
When Brazil and Colombia met last month, the game was marred by rash challenges, leading to 28 fouls being committed across both sides. But if you thought that was bad, their latest encounter put the earlier one to shame.
The sides took their ugliness to a whole new level today, committing 42 fouls in total (21 each) and accounting for seven yellow cards! The game was poor in terms of quality because of the constant disruptions by both sides.
Colombia were the chief culprits again, using their traditional roughhousing techniques to deal with the likes of Neymar, Paqueta and Raphinha. However, Casemiro and Fred were among the Canaries guilty of some foul play too.
#4 Colombia's attacking woes continue
Last month, Colombia drew thrice in succession, all 0-0, as they desperately lacked attacking firepower. James Rodriguez's return provided them with a much-needed boost, but the former Real Madrid star was only fit enough to start on the bench against Brazil.
With no playmaker on the field to inspire creativity, the pressure was more on wide players like Juan Cuadrado to create chances. However, the Selecao ran a taut ship at the back, negating their influence. Resultantly, striker Duvan Zapata was left devoid of service, while the introduction of Rodriguez and Luis Muriel in the second-half made little difference.
Colombia are now goalless in slightly over 360 minutes of action, a problem they need to solve at the earliest.
#3 Why isn't Tite starting Vinicius?
It's a million-dollar question and one that Brazil coach Tite ought to answer soon. Vinicius Junior has started just once for the Selecao in the last three months despite being in the best form of his life in the 2021-22 club season.
Even against Colombia, the Real Madrid ace only came off the bench, replacing the ineffective Fred at the break. Vinicius took no time to show his value to the side, however.
He ran at Colombia like a raging bull, bursting onto his trademark dribbles to carry the ball forward into attacking positions. Vinicius also linked up well with his attacking cohort.
Still only 21, the Brazilian has a genuine quality to become a star for the national team. But he can only realize his potential if Tite starts him regularly.
#2 Brazil seal Qatar spot, Colombia hanging by the balance
With this victory, Brazil qualify for the Qatar showpiece with six games still to spare. The Canaries have been in a league of their own in these qualifiers, even racing to 10 consecutive victories from the start.
A 0-0 draw with Los Cafeteros last month brought that run to an end, but it's the only blot in their otherwise pristine copybook.
Colombia, meanwhile, have now slipped to fifth in the standings, one below the last automatic qualification spot.
With Chile making a late surge, competition for the top-four has intensified. Reinaldo Rueda's side cannot afford to drop any more points if they want to receive their ticket for the 2022 World Cup.
#1 It's Neymar's world, we're just living in it
Neymar has been the undisputed star of these qualifiers in the CONMEBOL zone. With seven goals and eight assists, he's made the highest goal-contribution of any player and has also created numerous other chances.
Neymar's prolific tally includes the assist he made for Paqueta today, slicing Colombia open with a defence-splitting pass. The Lyon star then thumped it home first-time for the only goal of the game.
But the PSG ace was more than just that. Neymar gave the opposition defense multiple nightmares with his precocious dribbling skills and eye-catching trickery. The Colombians had no answer, but to hack the 29-year-old down time and again.
