Under-20s: Brazil impress to beat Paraguay 3-1 in Paulo Victor's debut | OneFootball

The Brazil Under-20 National Team began the new cycle with a 3-1 win over Paraguay this Saturday (28) at Martins Pereira Stadium. More than just the victory, the team coached by Paulo Victor delivered what the manager had asked for throughout the week: grit, attacking intent, and the identity of Brazilian football.

The goals were scored by Bruninho, twice, and Erick Belé. The teams will face each other again on Tuesday (31) at Canindé, at 4 p.m.

The Young Canaries’ first time at Martins Pereira Stadium drew the city of São José, which put on a beautiful show in the stands, with just over six thousand people in attendance. And the national team returned the favor by playing like Brazil.

A good crowd turned out at Martins PereiraCredits: Staff Images / CBF

The match started the way a South American derby usually does: hard challenges and a battle for possession in midfield. Before the 10-minute mark, Brazil had already picked up two yellow cards: João Souza, for stopping a counterattack that could have led to a clear scoring chance, and Zé Lucas, for a foul that did not even happen.

But once the early nerves settled, Brazil began to keep the ball on the ground. And the quality quickly showed: Bruninho received the ball on the right and, like a true winger, cut inside and fired powerfully into Sosa’s top corner. A stunning goal from Brazil’s number 20.

Brazil then began to dictate the pace of the game and find openings down the right side of the attack. But by drawing defenders toward him, Bruninho opened up space for Erick Belé to drive through the middle. The forward played it to number 20 on the right, who returned it to Belé, free to control in front of the back line and calmly place his shot to extend the lead.

Still in the first half, however, the referee saw a handball when the ball struck Prates in the stomach. Delmas converted the penalty to pull one back.

In the second half, Paulo Victor rotated the team and brought on Heittor and Lucca in place of Luca Meirelles and Belé. At the very first opportunity, Heittor received the ball from Zé Lucas and nearly scored the third with a diving header.

Paraguay threatened in return on a play in which João Pedro misjudged the ball, but captain João Souza blocked the opponent’s shot. And Brazil’s response was ruthless: Zé Lucas won the ball back in defense and released Bruninho. The forward combined with Heittor and received it back inside the box. Bruninho danced past two defenders, leaving them on the ground, and finished with no chance for Sosa, scoring his second brilliant goal of the match.

Lineups:

BRAZIL: João Pedro; Igor Felisberto (Ryan), João Souza, João Ananias, Kauã Prates; Zé Lucas, Djhordney (Tiago), Erick Belé (Lucca); Bruninho (Pedro Ferreira), Isaque (Gabriel Carvalho) and Luca Meirelles (Heittor). Head coach: Paulo Victor.

PARAGUAY: Sosa; Duarte, Coronel, Chaparro, González; Chena (Martino), Zarza (Vera), Sanabria (Vera), Silvero (Cristaldo); Delmás (Gomez) and Villalba (Gamarra). Head coach: Antolín Alcaraz.

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