Brazil moved back on course for qualifying for the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia as the five-time world champions defeated Ecuador 3-0 away from home.
Lionel Messi scored on his return from international retirement as 10-man Argentina held on for a 1-0 victory over Uruguay to record their fourth straight victory in World Cup qualifying.
Jesus shines on debut
Making his senior team debut in his first match after winning the Olympic Gold in Rio, 19-year old striker Gabriel Jesus was involved in all three of his side's goals at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa in Quito.
Manchester City's new £27 pound signing and the Selecao's new No. 9 showed exemplary work ethics as all of Brazil's goals came in the last 20 minutes.
It was always going to be tough for the visitors to play at 10,000 metres above sea level. Ecuador did most of the early running and created the better chances in the first half, without either team finding clear-cut opportunities to score.
The breakthrough came as Jesus bore down on goal only to be hacked down by Ecuadorian custodian Alexander Dominguez inside the box. Jesus's Olympic team-mate Neymar then stepped up to convert the penalty to score his 47th international goal and give his side the lead.
After Juan Carlos Paredes was shown a second yellow for a stamp on Renato Augusto, the hosts were down by a man and a goal with 15 minutes to go. Great interplay by Neymar and Robinho on the left wing saw the latter find Jesus inside the box. His delectable flick beat Ecuador keeper Dominguez, who got a touch but couldn't keep the ball out.
Jesus then scored a second as Neymar rolled the ball to him with two minutes of injury time to go. The 19-year old took a touch, turned, and shot to give the opposition keeper no chance.
Messi scores on return
After a summer when Lionel Messi announced his international retirement only to reverse it, Argentina faced Uruguay hoping to make it four wins out of the last four games in the qualifying rounds.
The 29-year old Messi vindicated coach Edgardo Bauza's decision to convince the Barcelona superstar to get back into the international fold as he scored the only goal of the game. After receiving the ball in front of the Uruguay box, Messi's shot took a deflection to leave Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera flat-footed and beaten.
Paulo Dybala was sent off in the dying moments of the first half as he was awarded a second yellow for a rash tackle. Argentina played the entirety of the second half with 10 men, but were not troubled by Uruguay, whose forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani seemed off-colour on the day.
With these results, Argentina leapfrogged over Uruguay into first place in South American qualification with 14 points from 7 games, while Brazil stayed in fifth place. But with a tally of 12 points, they are only one point behind the three second-placed teams – Uruguay, Colombia (who beat Venezuela 2-0), and Equador.
With three matches to go, Brazil plays a crucial game against Colombia on September 6. The top four teams from the 10-team group qualify automatically, while the fifth-placed team heads into a play-off.
The Results:
- Ecuador 0 lose to Brazil 3 (Neymar penalty, Gabriel Jesus - 2)
- Argentina 1 (Lionel Messi) beat Uruguay 0
