Ancelotti makes disappointing debut in Brazil, Argentina narrowly wins over Chile

Carlo Ancelotti makes Brazil debut in disappointment

Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil had a difficult start when the Selecao was held to a goalless draw by Ecuador in the 2026 World Cup South American qualifiers. The draw also extended Ecuador's unbeaten home run to 14 matches.

Ecuador went into the game with significant injuries, with veteran striker Enner Valencia absent and goalkeeper Hernan Galindez injured in the warm-up. Gonzalo Valle made his international debut in goal, but he and Brazil counterpart Alisson were largely sidelined in a cautious first half.

Ancelotti ra mắt Brazil trong thất vọng, Argentina thắng nhẹ Chile - 1 — Brazil played poorly against Ecuador (Photo: Getty).

Despite Ecuador dominating possession, the clearest chance fell to Brazil when Pervis Estupinan made a mistake in his own half, allowing Gerson to pass to Vinicius Junior, but Valle rushed out to block. Brazil midfielder Casemiro also headed wide.

Meanwhile, Ecuador’s only shot on target before the break came from John Yeboah but it was not a dangerous one. The lack of quality in the attacking areas, coupled with the fact that only one of Ecuador’s previous 11 qualifying matches had seen both teams score, boded a difficult second half.

The second half continued at a slow pace, with the first shot not being seen until the 67th minute when Yeboah once again slotted a shot into Alisson's hands. Ecuador were still the more active side but failed to create clear-cut chances. Brazil also struggled in attack, with Vinicius passing back to Casemiro but the midfielder's low shot was not dangerous enough to beat Valle.

Ancelotti ra mắt Brazil trong thất vọng, Argentina thắng nhẹ Chile - 2 — Ancelotti failed to make an impression in his debut for Brazil (Photo: Getty).

Goalkeeper Alisson then had to dive to keep out Estupinan’s long-range effort, helping Brazil withstand late pressure and secure a draw. The result means the five-time world champions have only won one of their last five qualifiers. Despite their recent struggles, both teams remain on track to qualify for the World Cup, with Ecuador continuing to strengthen their case after extending their unbeaten run at home to 14 games.

Alvarez shines in Argentina's victory

Julian Alvarez scored the only goal in the first half to help reigning World Cup champions Argentina extend their unbeaten run against Chile to eight games (W6 D2) after a narrow 1-0 victory at the Julio Martinez Pradanos National Stadium.

Ancelotti ra mắt Brazil trong thất vọng, Argentina thắng nhẹ Chile - 3 — Alvarez scores against Chile (Photo: Getty).

Despite having already secured a place in the 2026 World Cup finals after beating Brazil in March, coach Lionel Scaloni fielded an experimental squad, with Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez only on the bench. Meanwhile, Chile were in dire need of a win to keep their hopes of reaching the intercontinental play-offs alive, and almost opened the scoring. Returning to the national team after an eight-match injury absence, Alexis Sanchez almost made his mark in the fourth minute, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez brilliantly blocked a dangerous shot from Chile's greatest ever scorer.

Without Martinez and Messi on the pitch, the onus was on Julian Alvarez to lead the attack. The Atletico Madrid striker took just 16 minutes to get on the scoresheet. From a defence-splitting pass from Thiago Almada, Alvarez deftly flicked the ball past goalkeeper Brayan Cortes to put Argentina ahead. One of Scaloni's young talents, Nico Paz, almost doubled the lead before the 30th minute, but the Como star could only fire his shot over the bar.

After a slow start to the second half, Scaloni finally brought Messi on in the 57th minute. However, the superstar's presence did not prevent Chile from increasing the pressure. Emiliano Martinez was forced to show his talent once again to push away Lucas Cepeda's powerful shot, before diving deftly to block Rodrigo Echeverria's effort. Cepeda could have levelled things at 1-1 as the game entered its final minutes, but the striker squandered Chile's golden opportunity, sending the ball wide of the post.

Ancelotti ra mắt Brazil trong thất vọng, Argentina thắng nhẹ Chile - 4 — Messi played more than 30 minutes against Chile (Photo: Getty).

A fourth straight win in 2026 World Cup qualifying extended Argentina’s lead at the top of the standings to 10 points after Ecuador drew 0-0 with Brazil. Meanwhile, a ninth defeat in 15 qualifying matches means Chile will have to win all but three of their remaining games, starting with a trip to Bolivia next Wednesday, and hope their opponents suffer an unfavourable result. Only then can Chile qualify for the finals for the first time since 2014.