A few weeks after humiliating Vinicius Jr with Barça, Raphinha taught him another lesson in selection. The Real Madrid striker is unlikely to forget that.
On the night of Thursday November 14, 2024, Brazil faced Venezuela. This, as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Vinicius Jr and his teammate Raphinha were very motivated to win this duel for the pleasure of their supporters. And in the stands, some supporters even gave Vinicius strength with a sign that read: “Vinicius Jr, Ballon d’Or”.
Unfortunately, the player’s fame was short-lived. In the 43rd minute, it was the Barcelona player who opened the scoring with a free kick. And this goal is not trivial.
With this goal, Raphinha broke a spell dating back 20 years. Indeed, on August 15, 2000, during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Brazil scored its very first goal from a free kick in a qualifying match.
Against Chile, in Santiago, it was Rivaldo who was responsible for the feat. About 25 meters from the goal, the Brazilian midfielder sent a powerful and curving shot which ended in the top corner, leaving the Chilean goalkeeper helpless. So, this goal opened the scoring and launched Brazil to a clear 3-0 victory.
The moment marked a turning point in Brazil’s qualifying campaign, symbolizing the offensive power of the team, made up of stars like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.
This free kick was also seen as a foretaste of what will be the 2002 World Cup, where Brazil will dominate the competition and win its fifth world title.
This feat of Rivaldo, no other Brazilian player will achieve again. And this for more than 20 years. Unfortunately for Vinicius Jr, it will be his teammate Raphinha who will take on this challenge again.
Note that once again, the Real Madrid striker was criticized after this confrontation. He missed a penalty that could have given his country victory. The two teams separated with a score of 1 goal all.
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