The 13th day of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, South American zone, began on Thursday night. Brazil, having drawn two matches against Venezuela (1-1) and Uruguay (1-1), hosted Colombia at the Arena BRB Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia.

Despite missing Neymar at the last minute, the Seleção still managed to win a hard-fought match (2-1). A valuable victory that they owe to Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr.

Voted FIFA Men's Player of the Year, Vinicius Jr. first won a penalty in the 6th minute, which was converted by Raphinha. But the Colombians, fighting hard, equalized in the 41st minute thanks to Luis Diaz, perfectly set up by James Rodriguez.

In the second half, both teams created several clear chances without managing to make a difference. It was not until the final seconds of added time (90+8) that Vinicius Jr. gave Brazil the victory with a powerful strike that left the Colombian goalkeeper with no chance.

Thanks to this flash of genius from its star, Brazil (21 points) climbed to 2nd place in the rankings before its decisive match against rivals Argentina (1st, 25 points) on March 26.