Brazil vs Ecuador finished as a nil-nil draw after an intense and controversial 90 minutes which saw an Ecuador goal incorrectly disallowed. The result sees Peru stay atop Group B as leaders.
The big storyline of the night was whether Brazil would be able to function offensively without their talisman Neymar, who is absent after choosing instead to represent Brazil at the Olympics. The Selecao went with on-fire Benfica striker Jonas up front in their starting lineup, with Casemiro in holding midfield along with Willian and Phillipe Coutinho. In many ways, it was an unfamiliar Brazilian lineup, which made it difficult to predict how they would perform.
Ecuador's lineup, on the other hand, surprised no one, with mainstays Antonio Valencia, Enner Valencia and Jefferson Montero offering their usual cocktail of pace and power.
Ecuador started the brighter of the two teams as they pressed Brazil high up the pitch. Miler Bolaños nearly gave Ecuador a shock lead in the fifth minute as his curling effort went just wide of Alisson's goal. That near miss appeared to wake Brazil up as Willian sent an inch perfect cross into Phillipe Coutinho whose shot at was saved at close range by Esteban Dreer.
From that point on, Brazil was the team that looked more in control, yet Ecuador still looked dangerous every time they countered. It was a wonderfully open, frenetic start to the game that served as a great spectacle for fans and neutrals alike, not least for Neymar himself who was seated next to none other than actor Jamie Foxx in the stands.
Neymar may have been left out of the squad but that didn't stop him from taking in the game with Jamie Foxx. Photo: @CauldronICYMI | Twitter
The game calmed down somewhat after the first 20 minutes, but the overall verdict was that both teams were giving good accounts of themselves. Brazil looked full of energy and creativity, while Ecuador looked stubborn and ready to take the game to their relatively inexperienced opponents. As a result, the game became mired in the midfield, as both teams applied relentless pressure. Brazil had a couple of decent openings, but the final ball was just not good enough possibly betraying the squad's lack of familiarity with each other.
Ecuador almost punished Brazil on the break through Jefferson Montero, but Elias managed to bring him down with a tactical foul which earned him a yellow card. The resulting free kick was well hit by Enner Valencia, but straight at Alisson.
In the 45th minute, misfortune struck Brazil as Willian had to be stretchered off after a collision with Carlos Gruezo. Thankfully for Brazil, he was able to come back on to the field and continue. The rest of the half played out without incident with both teams managing only a single shot on target. Despite the lack of genuine chances, it was an engaging and entertaining first half, and both teams would have been relatively pleased with their respective performances.
The second half started much like the first with a lot of energy and intensity, but again, the match was very much battled in the midfield. Fouls started to build up for both sides as the match turned a little edgy, but the referee did a good job of letting play flow resulting in an end-to-end battle much as the first half had been.
Then, in the 67th minute, controversy struck as Bolaños crossed a ball from the left that Alisson seemed to have covered at his near post. However, the goalkeeper made a horrendous error and actually deflected the cross into his own net and Ecuador should have been awarded a goal, only to see match official Julio Bascuñán disallow it. In a highly confusing couple of minutes, it seems as if the referee deemed that the ball had gone out of bounds before Bolaños had crossed it, however replays seem to show otherwise.
The game lost its flow after that as tackles flew in and tempers started to fray. Substitute Lucas Moura had a gorgeous chance for Brazil in the 83rd minute as he ran onto a Coutinho cross, only to see his header flash narrowly wide. It was the only real chance of note up to that point as both teams held each other to mostly speculative efforts.
The game peetered out to a 0-0 draw as boos rang down from the Brazilian fans. It was an intense game if not a high-scoring one. Ecuador will feel hard done by as their goal should have stood, while Brazil will be disappointed at their continuing struggles to find a consistent goalscorer.
Both teams are in action again on Wednesday, June 8 as Brazil face Haiti and Ecuador battle Group B leaders Peru.
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