Brazil Held to 1–1 Draw by Tunisia in International Friendly

New Delhi, 19 November (Udaipur Kiran). Brazil, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, played out a 1–1 draw against Tunisia in an international friendly match held in Lille on Tuesday.

The result was far from ideal for Brazil as they continued preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In-form 18-year-old star Estêvão scored through a penalty, but Lucas Paquetá missed a late spot-kick, denying Brazil a much-needed win.

Brazil’s recent form has been inconsistent, having slipped to fifth in the South American qualifiers and suffering a 3–2 defeat to Japan last month.

Ancelotti fielded a strong attacking line-up featuring Matheus Cunha, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Estêvão. However, Tunisia took the lead midway through the first half when Hazem Mastouri scored off a brilliant pass from Ali Abdi.

Just before halftime, VAR awarded Brazil a penalty for handball, which Estêvão converted to register his fifth international goal.

In the 78th minute, Brazil earned another penalty, but substitute Paquetá, taking the kick instead of Estêvão, sent the ball over the crossbar. In the 89th minute, Brazil appealed for a third penalty after Estêvão was brought down, but even after a VAR check, the referee allowed play to continue.

Other International Friendly Results:

• Senegal thrashed Kenya 8–0, with Sadio Mané scoring a first-half hat-trick.

• African champions Ivory Coast beat Oman 2–0 after their loss to Saudi Arabia.

• Algeria defeated Saudi Arabia 2–0, with Riyad Mahrez on the scoresheet.

• Morocco claimed a comfortable 4–0 win over Uganda.

• Uzbekistan, set to play its first-ever World Cup next year, held Iran to a 0–0 draw despite Manchester City defender Abdoukodir Khusanov receiving a red card.