Former Shabab Al-Ahly player, Igor Jesus, led the Brazilian national team to victory over its Chilean counterpart, two goals to one, in the ninth round of the South American continent’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in America, Mexico, and Canada.
The 23-year-old young Brazilian star participated for the first time with “Samba”, after Shabab Al-Ahly was his gateway to brilliance and a return to the Brazilian League, with his move to Botafogo during the last summer transfer period.
Igor Jesus shone after he contributed to the Brazilian national team achieving an exciting and dramatic victory over the Chilean national team with a score of 2-1, so that “Samba” corrected its course in the qualifiers, as despite the shocking start in the match hosted by the Chilean National Stadium in the capital, Santiago, after the hosts advanced through… Eduardo Vargas in the second minute, as the goal came after a smart header that was missed by the veteran star, Brazil goalkeeper Ederson.
However, player Igor Jesus, who has toured in the ADNOC Professional League, scored the equalizer for the Brazilian national team in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half, while the 51st minute saw Barcelona star Rafinha score a goal for the benefit of the Samba dancers, but the referee canceled it due to offside.
Star Luiz Henrique succeeded in scoring Brazil’s valuable winning goal in the 89th minute after a wonderful preparation and a perfect shot from inside the penalty area.
After winning the match, Brazil’s score rose to point No. 13, occupying fourth place in the South American qualifiers table, while the Chilean national team occupies ninth place with 5 points. The Brazilian national team will play the next round at home against Peru next Wednesday, while the Chilean national team will play in Colombia. Next Tuesday.
It is noteworthy that Igor Jesus grew up in the youth team of the Brazilian club Curitiba, but Shabab Al-Ahly was the “turning point” in his career, after he joined the team in 2020 for two million euros, and he shined remarkably with the team in his first season, and his market value rose to 5 million euros. While his repeated injuries with the “Dubai Knights” contributed to a decline in his performance and his absence for long periods from participating in matches, and a decrease in his market value to 1.5 million euros in 2022, according to the “Transfer Market” website, which specializes in the player transfer market.
Igor suffered three severe injuries with Shabab Al-Ahly during three seasons, as he suffered the first knee injury with a cruciate ligament tear in October 2021, and was absent from the field for more than a year, and after his return at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, he played the first 6 matches of the season and was injured again. In the knee, the player then underwent urgent surgery, then a treatment and rehabilitation program. On the other hand, he suffered another injury last season, and was absent from the team for a period of up to three months.
On the other hand, Igor Jesus shined in the last six months of his contract with the “Dubai Knights” last season, and he shined remarkably, attracting the attention of Brazilian Botafogo, who agreed with him last January to transfer him to their ranks during the summer transfer period.
Igor participated with Shabab Al-Ahly in 87 matches, scoring 43 goals and playing 20 assists. He won four titles with the “Dubai Knights”: the ADNOC Professional League, the Super Cup, and the Professional Cup twice, while the international player excelled with his new team this season, He played 19 matches, scored seven goals and made one assist, as Botafogo tops the Brazilian League standings, and also qualified for the semi-finals of the Libertadores Cup, and his market value rose to six million euros, the highest market value he had ever reached, so he was selected in the Brazilian national team list for the first time in His career, where he announced himself and entered the hearts of the Brazilian public with his brilliance in his first appearance by scoring a goal in his first international match.
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