'Remained goalless' - Chelsea and Tottenham stars fail to impress in shock Brazil defeat

Chelsea and Tottenham players were involved in a shock defeat on Tuesday night when Brazil lost a World Cup qualifier to Bolivia. Brazil have not had a particularly good qualifying campaign but they were already assured of a World Cup spot before Tuesday night’s final game after racking up 28 points in 18 games.

Meanwhile, Bolivia needed to win their last game to sneak into a play-off spot after being locked in a battle with Venezuela for the one and only play-off birth.

A Miguelito penalty saw Bolivia overcome Brazil, and with Venezuela losing 6-3 to Colombia, they have now secured seventh spot and a play-off birth, while Brazil qualify automatically in fifth place, finishing 10 points behind leaders Argentina who also suffered a surprise defeat in their last game.

Among the Brazil starters was Tottenham striker Richarlison, who was brought off after 61 minutes for Chelsea man Joao Pedro.

In Globo’s player ratings, Richarlison got a 5/10, with the report reasoning: “He was rarely called upon. For his only chance, in the 37th minute of the first half, he controlled the ball, burst into the box, and struck hard, but the ball deflected off the defender. He left the game during the first substitution, in the 17th minute of the second half. He has remained goalless for the national team since the World Cup in Qatar.”

Joao Pedro also got a 5/10, with the report adding: “He gave the attack more mobility, dropping back at times to link up with the midfielders, but was rarely used near goal. His only shot was blocked.”

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos managed a 5.5 with the justification: “Positioned in front of the defence, he made several tackles and blocks and was one of the players who had the ball at his feet the most. He practically never missed a pass (completed 43 of 45), although almost all of them were short and low-demanding.”

Finally, coming off the bench, Estevao Willian got a 5.5, with the report reading: “He made a few runs down the right side of the attack, got two crosses right, but didn't shine.”

Brazil’s qualifiers are now over and done with, and the race to get into Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad now begins. During the next international window, they will head to Asia to take on Japan and South Korea in friendly fixtures.

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