In the first match under the command of Fernando Diniz, 49, the Brazilian team defeated Bolivia 5-1 this Friday (8), at the Mangueirão stadium, in Belém, Pará, where the teams competed in the opening round of the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
It was practically a duel of attack against defense, with Brazil maintaining control of the game from the first minutes, with rare exceptions.
Rodrygo, twice, Raphinha and Neymar, also with two, created the rout. The number 10 celebrated the two goals with punches in the air, as Pelé did. According to FIFA statistics, the player is now the greatest scorer in the history of the Brazilian team, with 79 goals, two more than the King of Football.
Football’s highest governing body, however, disregards matches against clubs and combinations. According to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) criteria, which encompasses all games, the King has scored 95 goals.
A history about which there is no discussion is regarding the broad Brazilian dominance against this Friday’s opponent. It was the 24th Brazilian victory in duels against the Bolivians. There were also four draws and only five victories for Bolivia.
Since the World Cup, this was Brazil’s fourth game. In the first half of this year, under the command of interim Ramon Menezes, the team beat Guinea (4-1), but lost to Morocco (2-1) and Senegal (4-2), all friendly matches.
With little time to work, Diniz chose to send a team to the field with nine players who were at the last World Cup. The exceptions were left-back Renan Lodi and midfielder Gabriel Magalhães.
Even with well-known names, the coach tried to imprint some of his style in the first duel, with a lot of touching of the ball and a constant search to enter the rival’s penalty area. Diniz also knows that, in principle, his journey with the national team will also be short, as the CBF signed him to a one-year contract, as he claims to have an agreement with the Italian Carlo Ancelotti.
The players, however, spent the last few days avoiding talking about the future and valued the work done by Fluminense’s coach.
Against Bolivia, they showed a lot of momentum. That’s how they managed to make an elastic score, which could have been even bigger. In the first half, Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 24th minute, shortly after Neymar wasted a penalty, in the 16th minute. In the 31st minute, Ábrego still had time to score, but Neymar was the one who closed the score, in stoppage time.
After the break, Raphinha expanded after just three minutes. Rodrygo made the third at 8 and, at 16, it was Neymar’s turn to leave his.
After the match, Neymar received a commemorative plaque for his 79 goals scored for the national team.
“What does this brand mean? It means a lot. Pelé is unanimous for everyone, the King of Football. Can you imagine surpassing someone in this? I would never imagine in my life”, said the athlete, who also thanked his colleagues, family and the team.
