Endrick – a striker who was signed by Real for 76 million USD – scored in the 90+6 minute, helping Brazil defeat Mexico 3-2 in a friendly match preparing for Copa America 2024.
* Ghi bàn: Julian Quinones 73′, Guillermo Ayala 90’+2 – Andreas Pereira 5′, Gabriel Martinelli 54′, Endrick 90’+6.
In this match, Brazil’s two main strikers, Vinicius and Rodrygo, both started on the bench. They originally gathered late after attending the Champions League final on the evening of June 1.
It wasn’t until the 74th minute that Vinicius replaced wing striker Savio. It was the Real Club striker who crossed the ball to assist Endrick to score the decisive goal 22 minutes later. Receiving the ball in an empty position, the 17-year-old headed it for a 3-2 victory. This is the third goal of the 17-year-old talent after five matches for the national team and also the second time he scored the winning goal for coach Dorival Jr.’s team. In March, the player born in 2006 also scored to help Brazil defeat England in the last minutes.
Before that decisive goal in the sixth minute of injury time, Brazil should have won big. They soon exploited the mistakes of the Mexican defense to lead by two goals. In the 5th minute, former Man Utd player Andreas Pereira dribbled the ball into the penalty area and shot past goalkeeper Julio Gonzalez. In the 50th minute, Mexico again lacked concentration, allowing Yan Couto to pass to Gabriel Martinelli to double the gap.
However, Brazil cannot maintain their advantage without Vinicius and Rodrygo. Without a striker good enough to maintain pressure in the opponent’s half, the Brazilian defense had to endure many attacks from the middle of the first half to the beginning of the second half. In the 73rd minute, Mexico equalized the first goal. Quinones cushioned the ball from a right wing cross right before Couto and goalkeeper Alisson could intervene.
Viewers tuning in for Brazil’s pre-Copa América friendly against Mexico on Saturday would have been surprised to see goalkeeper Alisson Becker wearing the number 110 jersey.
Squad numbers are typically below 50 and almost always lower than 100, with a very small number of historic exceptions. Liverpool stopper Alisson never normally wears the number 110, so why was he given it for a pre-tournament friendly?
Saturday’s game is held on the 110th anniversary of the foundation of the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body for soccer in Brazil. The friendly against Mexico is being held 110 years on from the foundation of the sport’s most successful national team and Alisson was given the noteworthy number to mark that fact.
