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Brazil were held to a goalless stalemate by Colombia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, ending their nine-game winning run in the campaign. Both sides were guilty of missing some excellent chances and eventually settled for a share of the spoils.
Los Cafeteros started the match brightly but the Selecao absorbed all the pressure before creating some good chances of their own.
The South American giants continued to go at each other even after the break but a lack of end product meant the tie remained finely poised.
Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina produced two fine saves late on, denying the electric Raphinha on both occasions to prevent the visitors from taking the lead.
The absence of goals didn't dampen the atmosphere on the ground as Colombia and Brazil rounded off an entertaining draw and will now turn their attention towards their next game.
Brazil, six points clear at the top of the CONMEBOL standings, are away to Uruguay on Thursday while fifth-placed Colombia host Ecuador on the same day.
Here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Colombia started brightly although Brazil's stoic defensive line soaked up pressure
Despite playing away from home, you'd expect Brazil, who had won all nine of their qualifying games before this, to start the match on a stronger foot. But no, the Cafeteros showed real poise and purpose during the opening exchanges to push the mighty Seleccao on the back-foot.
Wilmar Barrios won a free-kick for the home side as early as the third minute after Fred caught the midfielder. Although it came to nothing, Colombia came at Brazil in the next minute once again when Yerry Mina fired a header wide from close range.
Another 120 seconds later, Alisson was called into action when Roger Martinez came charging down the flank. So that's a total of three chances inside the opening six minutes of the game!
Colombia looked very lively during the opening exchanges as they controlled possession and the tempo of the match. But the Seleccao, too, held firm, soaking up the early pressure expertly to keep the tie in the balance and frustrate their hosts.
It worked a great deal, as the Cafeteros appeared to lose some of the early momentum, and reduced them only to some hopeful punts from range which came to nothing.
#2 Neymar makes a lively return to the side and then goes off the boil
All pre-match discussions were dominated by Neymar as the Brazil talisman returned to the side after missing their Venezuela clash last week.
Sure enough, he looked really lively in the first-half, stemming all the good work of the Canarinho. In fact, he was the only Brazilian player doing something offensively; the sole creator of their chances.
If it weren't for some poor finishing, the visitors might as well have bagged a couple of goals and Neymar some assists. But surely the second-half promised much better?
Wrong! The cog itself stopped spinning after the break, forcing Brazil to look elsewhere for opportunities.
For reasons inexplicable, Neymar just became a pale shadow of his first-half self and had a really poor second period. He misplaced passes and seemed to just run out of ideas. What started out in a promising fashion ended with a damp squib.
#3 Falcao's rusty form continues
It seemed like a distant memory when Radamel Falcao tore defenses asunder with his imperious goalscoring prowess. His form, at least with Colombia, looked decent until recently, but the striker's record in the last few games shows even that has nosedived greatly.
Without a goal in his last five appearances, Falcao is currently on his worst run of form since 2019, and has netted just once in his last 12. This barren run didn't remotely come close to ending today.
El Tigre failed to muster a single effort on target and completed only 13 passes in over 70 minutes of action. It's a testament to how fringed he was on the pitch and has given Colombia a lot to ponder over whether he should really be starting ahead of Zapata.
#4 Raphinha packs a punch after coming off the bench
Raphinha was a real nuisance after coming on for the anonymous Gabriel Barbosa just past the hour mark. The Leeds United winger added more threat to Brazil's attack than anyone and gave Tite plenty of food for thought.
Adventerous, energetic and highly skilled on the ball, he used his precocious dribbling skills to get the ball forward and picked out Antony with a wonderful cross.
He was so menacing that Raphinha also had more touches in the opposition box than anyone else, becoming a thorn in Colombia's side.
His best moment of the match, though, has to be that incredible burst of dribble inside the area in the dying minutes of normal time before laying the ball off inside the area.
It would be really wise of Tite to start him next time.
#5 Brazil still in control
Brazil's incredible run of nine consecutive victories in the qualifiers is officially over. But it has given them plenty of room for error at the top of the table.
Despite their draw today, the Canarinho are six points clear of second-placed Argentina, so they still boast a healthy lead going into their next game.
Tite would naturally be concerned about the creative lull his team exhibited for much of the second-half today, with Neymar too going off the boil following a bright start.
But the performance of Raphinha shows it isn't a holistic problem and perhaps the side just witnessed a minor slump in form after such a dominant run.
Brazil will be back.
