Sport Nation 2West Ham United’s Lucas Paquetá played a crucial role in Brazil’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. Paquetá, earning his 51st cap, provided a line-breaking pass to Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, who scored the winning goal.
The victory helped Brazil get their qualifying campaign back on track, and they now sit fourth in the ten-team table with ten points from seven matches. The top six teams will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the seventh team will enter a play-off.
In other international matches, West Ham’s Guido Rodríguez was an unused substitute in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Chile, while Michail Antonio started for Jamaica in their 0-0 draw against Cuba in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Alphonse Areola was also an unused substitute for France in their 3-1 defeat to Italy in the UEFA Nations League. France will face Belgium in their next match on Monday.
These international matches took place during the September break, and West Ham United players will return to club duty after completing their national team commitments.
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Amina Umar