{"id":75316,"date":"2022-01-28T19:05:57","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T19:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=75316"},"modified":"2022-01-28T19:06:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T19:06:30","slug":"brazils-alisson-sees-two-red-cards-overturned-in-wc-draw-with-ecuador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=75316","title":{"rendered":"Brazil’s Alisson sees two red cards overturned in WC draw with Ecuador"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sports Desk:<\/strong> Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker had two red cards overturned by VAR reviews as Brazil hung on for a controversial 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw with Ecuador on Thursday, with both teams having a player dismissed.<\/p>\n

Alisson could count himself lucky after a straight red card in the first half, for a high boot on Enner Valencia, was downgraded to a yellow and then a second yellow card in injury-time was also overturned on review.<\/p>\n

Ecuador's Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro was furious after four VAR reviews — two to check possible dismissals and two for penalties originally awarded by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan — all went against the hosts in Quito.<\/p>\n

“We're shocked by the development of the match, by all the strange things, by everything that happened,” said Alfaro.<\/p>\n

“I don't want any favors, all I want is justice.<\/p>\n

“We feel that we had the chance to achieve a historic victory taken away from us.”<\/p>\n

Even so, the point inches Ecuador closer to World Cup qualification with three games left as they have a seven-point gap to fifth-placed Colombia.<\/p>\n

Uruguay also boosted their hopes as Luis Suarez gave them a 1-0 win away to Paraguay.<\/p>\n

But Chile slipped further away from qualification after a 2-1 defeat at home to Argentina.<\/p>\n

Brazil and Argentina have already booked their tickets for Qatar.<\/p>\n

– VAR chaos –<\/p>\n

Casemiro gave Brazil, who were missing the injured Neymar, an early lead but Ecuador center-back Felix Torres equalized 15 minutes from time.<\/p>\n

Ecuador should have been in front within two minutes but Valencia somehow missed the target from four yards out.<\/p>\n

It took just four minutes for Brazil to make Ecuador pay.<\/p>\n

Matheus Cunha headed a cross from Philippe Coutinho goalwards and while goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez blocked the ball on the line, Casemiro pounced to stab home the loose ball from a yard out.<\/p>\n

Ecuador were a mess at the back and Dominguez compounded matters with a rash attempt to reach a Fred through ball before Cunha.<\/p>\n

The keeper got his toe to the ball but drove his studs into the forward's neck with his follow through and was rightly dismissed following a lengthy VAR check.<\/p>\n

In an eventful start to the match, Emerson Royal was given his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards inside the first 20 minutes as numeric parity was almost immediately restored.<\/p>\n

Five minutes later, Alisson was initially shown a straight red card for an almost identical offense to Dominguez's.<\/p>\n

Having also won the ball at head height, he brought his follow through down in an axe kick on Valencia's head.<\/p>\n

But, following a VAR check, Roldan incredibly downgraded the card to a yellow.<\/p>\n

– Penalties overturned –<\/p>\n

Early in the second half, Valencia had another glorious chance to score but headed wide from 12 yards after once again finding space in the box.<\/p>\n

Ecuador had the ball in the net early in the second half through Michael Estrada but it was ruled out after a linesman flagged for the ball going out of play.<\/p>\n

Roldan then signalled a penalty after Raphinha appeared to stand on Pervis Estupinan's foot in the box, but for the third time VAR ruled in Brazil's favor and it was chalked off.<\/p>\n

Ecuador finally equalized when Torres outjumped Casemiro to plant a header into the bottom corner past a helpless Alisson.<\/p>\n

Roldan then pointed to the spot for a second time deep into injury time after Alisson connected with forward Ayrton Preciado's head as he punched clear a bouncing ball.<\/p>\n

The referee also showed him a second yellow card but overturned both that and the penalty after another VAR review.<\/p>\n

Both halves included more than 10 minutes of additional time due to the lengthy checks.<\/p>\n

In Asuncion, Suarez struck a sweet left-foot volley five minutes into the second half to energize Uruguay's faltering qualification campaign.<\/p>\n

Four straight defeats had seen iconic veteran coach Oscar Tabarez sacked after the last round of fixtures in November.<\/p>\n

But this victory propelled Uruguay into the top four while also putting a serious dent in Paraguay's hopes of making it to Qatar.<\/p>\n

English-born Ben Brereton Diaz scored for Chile in Calama but goals from Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina, who rested Lionel Messi, victory.<\/p>\n

Chile are now three points behind fourth-placed Uruguay with three matches left as seven teams vye for the remaining two automatic qualification spots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sports Desk: Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker had two red cards overturned by VAR reviews as Brazil hung on for a controversial 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw with Ecuador on Thursday, with both teams having a player dismissed. Alisson could count himself lucky after a straight red card in the first half, for a high boot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n