83' Brazil have not been held to less than three goals in a win since a Copa America victory over Argentina in July 2019.
73' Richarlison is brought down by Gonzalez, giving Brazil a free-kick which they opt to take quickly.
71' Venezuela no longer have the luxury of being able to sit back and defend a point as they’ll be forced to come forward in search of an equaliser. That won’t be possible however until they win the ball back; a task that is becoming increasingly difficult.
69' As Tite calls for calm from the touchline after seeing his side go up a goal, Allan misplaces a pass and gives Venezuela a throw-in.
63' Play is stopped for Rosales, who is down on one knee in some pain. He looks unable to continue, which would mean Venezuela have been forced to withdraw both starting full-backs.
61' Richarlison sends a desperate cross into the penalty area which is easily repelled by Angel and put out for a throw, much to the disappointment of Tite.
59' Peseiro should be very pleased with his side’s performance after an hour. It was never likely that Venezuela would dominate play, but they’ve responded to what Brazil have thrown at them very well. Their shape has been maintained all night and are working determinedly for what would be an unexpected point.
56' Soteldo finds some room just inside the penalty area, but his cross is curled right into the outstretched arms of Ederson.
55' It appears the referee was being told about a potential handball inside Venezuela’s penalty area, which would give Brazil a penalty. After a replay or two, the replays appear to be inconclusive and the match will be restarted with a goal-kick.
52' Play is stopped because of a conversation between the referee and the VAR. It’s unsure what incident is being discussed, but both sets of players are getting increasingly frustrated.
50' Lodi again involved in good attacking play down the left as his near-post cross finds Jesus, who is unable to direct it towards Farinez. Again the Manchester City striker prods it towards his team-mate Richarlison, who is unable to get anything on it as the goalkeeper finally claims.
48' As expected, Tite has wasted no time making attacking changes as his side look to take the lead. Paqueta is not an orthodox central midfielder, but will no doubt give his side a burst of pace and creativity; something desperately missed in the first half.
46' Venezuela get the match restarted from the kick-off!
Brazil’s midfield weren’t the most creative in the first half, with Douglas Luiz miscuing a number of passes through the lines. If the Venezuelan defence is to be broken down, perhaps Tite will need to look for creativity from the bench. With Arthur and Paqueta available, as well as Vinicius from the bench to challenge tired legs, the quality at Tite’s disposal is undoubtable. For Venezuela, they will no doubt look to dig in and protect the draw at all costs, with the experience of Chancellor and Murillo options in the second half.
Venezuela were made to work hard in the first half, but deservingly enter the interval level at 0-0 with Brazil. Richarlison thought he had given his side the lead after just eight minutes, but an offside in the build-up would leave the match deadlocked. The hosts controlled play from there, camping 10 men inside the opposition’s half, but found little in the way of opportunities. The Selecao again thought they’d found the opener just two minutes from time, but a foul just before Douglas Luiz’s final effort saved Venezuela and allowed them to clear from a free-kick inside their own penalty area. It’s still all to play for in Sao Paulo after 45 minutes!
45' + 3' HALF-TIME: BRAZIL 0-0 VENEZUELA.
45' + 2' Danilo takes a speculative effort from some distance, but the full-back is unable to get any height on the shot as Farinez stoops low and saves easily.
45' The referee indicates three minutes will be added to the first half for stoppages.
43' Three of the last six meetings between Brazil and Venezuela have ended in 0-0 draws. The other three were won by the Selecao with an aggregate score of 9-2.
41' BRAZIL SCORE AGAIN BUT AGAIN IT’S RULED OFF! A cross from Everton Ribeiro finds its way to Richarlison after a bit of head tennis. The Everton forward turns it towards goal bringing a fantastic save out of Farinez, only for Douglas Luiz to hit the back of the net. Immediately after crossing the line however, the referee blows his whistle as there was a push in the back before the shot was taken.
39' Soteldo gives Venezuela their first real chance of the match, slaloming into the Brazil penalty area past Danilo and slipping a pass across the six-yard box for a team-mate, which is but behind at the last moment by Marquinhos.
37' Jesus goes over in the penalty area during an attempt to get under a long, lifted pass, but the referee sees nothing wrong with the defending and Farinez is able to catch the ball uncontested.
35' Douglas Luiz gets his signals crossed, missing the chance to send it long for Jesus’ run. Having already motioned to pass, the midfielder instead turns to play it down the left flank for Lodi - but sends it out for a throw-in.
33' BRAZIL CONSPIRE TO WASTE A GOLDEN CHANCE! A cross from the left falls to an unmarked Jesus, who is unable to turn the ball towards goal, instead sending a bouncing pass across the six-yard box to Richarlison. The oncoming Everton forward takes a stab at it, but he’s unable to find the open net - sending it just wide! It’s a head in hands moment for the attack, who continue to labour.
31' Rosales takes the free-kick from deep in midfield towards the edge of the 18, where Silva manages to nod it away. Rincon volleys the second-effort but sends it wildly over.
28' Allan finds Firmino outside the area, who takes a touch before lashing a shot towards goal - forcing Farinez to dive from side to side in order to palm the ball out for a corner.
26' Brazil come forward once again with 10 men inside the opposition’s half, but Everton Ribeiro and Douglas Luiz are facing some difficulty breaking down the low block.
24' Everton Ribeiro whips a corner to the edge of the six-yard box, but the organised Venezuela defence once again repels a set-piece successfully. They’ve done almost nothing going forward, but the visitors should be given credit for their resilience and discipline thus far.
22' Danilo takes the free-kick to the edge of the penalty area where it’s met with a deft flick to put it through traffic. The ball wriggles through to Firmino on the other side, but it prompts the linesman to raise his flag - giving Venezuela a free-kick to clear their lines.
16' Feltscher is in a bit of bother as he has a discussion with Venezuela’s medical staff. It seems to be a problem with his ankle as he’s helped off by two staff members. A change looks imminent for the visitors.
14' Everton Ribeiro uses his left to curl in a free-kick from the right after Richarlison was clumsily brought down, but the delivery to the far post prevents his team-mate from putting a shot on target.
12' Douglas Luiz looks to set Jesus away down the right, but the long-range pass is miscued and rolls out for a Farinez goal-kick.
10' A set-piece routine comes to nothing for Venezuela, who take their free-kick on the right short. Soteldo was the intended target inside the penalty area, but a heavy touch prevents anything from happening for the visitors.
8' RICHARLISON SCORES BUT HE’S OFFSIDE! Marquinhos sprays a pass forward to Lodi, whose mishit shot is palmed by Farinez into the path of the Everton striker, who puts it past the goalkeeper - but the left-back was unable to hold his run in the build-up. It remains 0-0.
6' A long, early cross is hung up to Rondon on the edge of the penalty area, but Marquinhos comes flying through to dispossess the physical striker.
4' Silva attacks a corner sent in by Everton Ribeiro, but his powerful effort is misdirected and sent wide.
3' Venezuela are looking to slow the play early, taking as long as possible with every throw-in. A point in Brazil for the visitors would be a tremendous result, though thinking about that this early in the proceedings could be risky.
1' Brazil get the match underway from the kick-off!
Venezuela make four changes of their own to the XI that lost 1-0 to Paraguay during the last international break. Osorio is in for Chancellor in defence, while the absence of Yangel Herrera from the squad allows Soteldo to start. On the wing, Cordova is replaced by Moreno, while a start at striker for Rondon puts Machis to the wing and leaves no room for Otero.
Brazil make four changes from their 4-2 victory over Peru last month. Ederson returns to goal replacing Weverton, while Allan and Everton RIbeiro are in for Casemiro and Philippe Coutinho in midfield. The final change is an enforced one in attack, as Neymar’s withdrawal from the squad due to injury means there’s a place for Jesus.
VENEZUELA SUBS: Alain Baroja, Joel Graterol, Jhon Chancellor, Luis Del Pino, Alexander Gonzalez, Bernaldo Manzano, Juanpi, Cristian Rivas, Jhon Murillo, Fernando Aristeguieta, Romulo Otero, Jefferson Savarino.
VENEZUELA XI (4-2-3-1): Wuilker Farinez; Roberto Rosales, Yordan Osorio, Wilker Angel, Rolf Feltscher; Yeferson Soteldo, Tomas Rincon; Darwin Machis, Christian Casseres, Junior Moreno; Salomon Rondon.
BRAZIL SUBS: Alisson, Weverton, Felipe, Diego Carlos, Alex Telles, Arthur, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, Vinicius Junior, Everton, Pedro.
BRAZIL XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Renan Lodi; Douglas Luiz, Allan, Everton Ribeiro; Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino, Richarlison.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s look at the team news, starting with the hosts!
Venezuela travel to Sao Paulo in search of their first goal in qualifying, as Jose Peseiro’s side sit one spot ahead of last-place Ecuador having played a match less. A 3-0 loss to Colombia and a 1-0 defeat at home to Paraguay have made for a rocky start, and it doesn’t get easier as the Vinotinto have only beaten Brazil once in 13 attempts - a 2-0 win in a friendly in 2008.
Brazil return to CONMEBOL qualification in a rich vein of form, sitting just one point behind table-toppers Argentina, who have played a match more. With 12 goals scored in their last three fixtures, the Selecao attack has been unstoppable of late - but Neymar’s late withdrawal from the squad due to injury will leave Tite without Brazil’s second highest all-time goalscorer.
Good evening and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 qualifier between Brazil and Venezuela!
