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Fans slammed the Real Madrid duo of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo after they failed to have an impact during Brazil's 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday, October 12.
Brazil had a bright start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers during the last international break, securing wins against Bolivia (5-1) and Peru (1-0). They were hoping to make it three wins on the bounce against Venezuela at the Arena Pantanal.
Fernando Diniz's side had control of the first half but failed to capitalize on any of their chances. They rectified this in the 50th minute when Gabriel Magalhaes headed the ball into the back of the net from Neymar's cross following a corner.
The Selecao had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute through the Real Madrid pair of Vinicius and Rodrygo after they made great runs down the right flank. Neymar fed the ball to Vinicius, who played it to Rodrygo, but the latter was too wide, and could only hit the side netting.
Vinicius found the back of the net in the 71st minute but was flagged offside. Eduard Bello then leveled the scores in the 85th minute with an exceptional reverse bicycle kick to secure an important point for Venezuela.
Fans blasted Vinicius and Rodrygo for their performances. The former only completed one successful dribble in six attempts, lost five duels, and was subbed off in the 79th minute. Rodrygo didn't fare much better, missing one big chance, losing four duels, and having an accurate cross percentage of just 25%.
One fan posted on X (former Twitter):
"Vini Jr is a fraud."
Another fan wrote:
"Was worst player on the pitch."
Other fans also criticized Rodrygo for his poor finishing:
"Rodrygo wasteful again. Idk why he's struggling this much. Scoring goals was a natural thing for him until the 2nd part of last season."
Brazil are now second in the CONMEBOL standings with seven points from three games, two points behind leaders Argentina.
Brazil vs Venezuela: Exploring the stats from World Cup qualifiers clash
Brazil were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against Venezuela last night at home to put a small dent in their bid to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Brazil dominated possession, having 71% of the ball. They also completed 625 passes with an accuracy of 90%. In contrast, Venezuela had 29% possession and registered only 250 passes with an accuracy of 76%.
The Selecao looked more threatening in attack, landing 15 shots in total with six being on target. On the other hand, Venezuela had nine shots in total, with two being on target. However, Fernando Diniz's men were unable to make the most of their chances, and as a result, dropped two points.
