Brazil lose to Bolivia, Ancelotti suffers first setback | OneFootball

Brazil ended its campaign in the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup with a defeat to Bolivia, the first for coach Carlo Ancelotti at the helm of the national team, by 1-0, this Tuesday, at the Municipal Stadium of El Alto, over 4,000 meters above sea level, thanks to a penalty goal by Miguelito, after Bruno Guimarães brought down Fernández inside the area.

Until then, Ancelotti had drawn with Ecuador away from home in his debut and won against Paraguay and Chile, both matches in Brazil. The Brazilian team had not even conceded goals under the Italian coach's command.

However, the effects of the altitude had a huge influence on Brazil's performance in El Alto. Even betting on theoretically more rested players, Ancelotti saw a team that was not very threatening, much more concerned with conserving energy on the field, fearing the consequences of the thin air, than with seeking a goal away from home.

Bolivia, on the other hand, secured a spot in the world playoff for the World Cup, finishing in seventh place and overtaking Venezuela, who lost to Colombia.

Standings Situation

With the result, Bolivia finished the South American Qualifiers in seventh position and will compete in the playoff for a World Cup spot, overtaking Venezuela, who ended up being defeated by Colombia.

Brazil, on the other hand, lost the chance to finish the Qualifiers in second place, dropping to fifth position with the defeat in El Alto. However, the spot for the 2026 World Cup had already been secured for some time, since the 1-0 victory over Paraguay in São Paulo.

📋 Match Summary

BOLIVIA 1 X 0 BRAZIL

🏆 Competition: South American Qualifiers 🏟️ Location: Municipal Stadium of El Alto, Bolivia 📅 Date: September 9, 2025 (Wednesday) ⏰ Time: 8:30 PM (Brasília time) 🟨 Yellow Cards: Bruno Guimarães, Fabrício Bruno (Brazil) 🟥 Red Cards: None

Refereeing

Goals

🔴🟢🟡BOLIVIA

Lampe; Diego Medina (Yomar Rocha), Haquín, Morales, and Fernández. Vilamil, Robson Matheus, and Ervin Vaca (Cuéllar); Miguelito, Moisés Paniagua, and Enzo Monteiro (Algarañaz). Coach: Oscar Vilegas.

🟢🟡BRAZIL

Alisson; Vitinho (Marquinhos), Alexsandro, Fabrício Bruno, and Caio Henrique; Andrey Santos (Jean Lucas), Bruno Guimarães, and Lucas Paquetá; Luiz Henrique (Estêvão), Samuel Lino (Raphinha), and Richarlison (João Pedro). Coach: Carlo Ancelotti.

The Match

Bolivia was more aggressive than Brazil in the first half. Taking advantage of the "altitude factor," the home team managed to pose a threat to the goal defended by Alisson and saw the Brazilians play more cautiously, avoiding speeding up the game as they were not accustomed to the thin air.

After persistently seeking a goal, Bolivia was rewarded just before halftime, already in stoppage time. Bruno Guimarães committed a penalty on Fernández, awarded after a VAR review. Miguelito took the penalty and did not miss, opening the score for the home team.

In the second half, coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to make changes to increase the pace of the match, but Brazil continued to struggle to make their game flow even with Estêvão, Raphinha, and João Pedro brought on during the second half.

Thus, Bolivia only needed to manage the slim advantage built throughout the game to secure the much-desired spot in the world playoff for the 2026 World Cup, potentially returning to the World Cup after 32 years.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.