Venezuela hold Brazil to 1-1 draw as Vinicius Jr misses penalty
The draw keeps Brazil third in the standings with 17 points from 11 matches, with Argentina and Colombia occupying first and second place with a match in hand.
Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on Friday, as Vinicius Jr missed a crucial penalty in their latest CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier.
The result saw Brazil fail to secure the three points they sought, with Venezuela displaying resilience to hold firm against the Selecao in a tense second half.
Raphinha had opened the scoring late in the first half with a superb free-kick, bending his effort from distance into the net off the far post, breaking a deadlock that had seen Brazil pushing hard without reward.
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Before the breakthrough, Gerson had come close, chesting down a ball at the edge of the box and firing a volley just over, while Vinicius rattled the post from close range after Savinho's skilful set-up.
Venezuela's keeper Romo also made a crucial save, diving at full stretch to deny Gerson's low drive.
The lead, however, was short-lived. Moments after the break, Venezuela found their equaliser.
Substitute Telasco Segovia struck powerfully from the edge of the area following a quick layoff from Jefferson Savarino, levelling the match and energising the home crowd.
Brazil continued to press for a winner and looked set to regain the lead in the 62nd minute when Vinicius won a penalty after a challenge from Romo.
But Romo was quick to redeem himself, diving low to his right to deny Vinicius and preserve the deadlock.
Venezuela were forced to hold their ground even more firmly in the closing stages after Alexander Gonzalez was shown a red card in the 89th minute, leaving the hosts with 10 men.
Despite Brazil's relentless attacks in the final moments, Venezuela clung to their point with the backing of their vocal home supporters.
The result leaves Venezuela in seventh place in the standings with 12 points, a position which would put them in line for an inter-confederation playoff for a spot at the 2026 World Cup in North America, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Elsewhere in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, Argentina, the current world champions, were set to face Paraguay, with Ecuador hosting Bolivia.
