- Two wins bring Brazil closer to the semifinals.
- Mauricinho, Edson Hulk, and Rodrigo scored braces.
Brazil took seven minutes to open the scoring, but once they did, the reigning champions dominated. Goalkeeper Bobô, who had already scored in the first match, fired a shot that bounced in front of Duque, deceiving him to make it 1-0.
There were spectacular goals, including a scissor kick from Neto and a bicycle kick from Brendo. Edson Hulk, Mauricinho, and Rodrigo all scored twice, with the first two now having four goals in the tournament.
Brazil controlled the pace of the game and reaffirmed why they are the defending champions and top contenders for the title on March 2.
Venezuela, coming off a great victory against Paraguay, managed to pull one back in the second period through Enderson Ramos. In the third period, Semprún scored a stunning free kick, and Vaamonde converted a penalty to round out the score.
Brazil now heads into a short break: they will have a bye on February 24, and there will be no matches on February 25. They will return to action on February 26 against Paraguay. Meanwhile, Venezuela will seek to bounce back on Matchday 3 against Peru.
Lineups
Venezuela (3): 12- Vicente Duque, 5- Rosdel Ramos, 9- José Semprún, 10- Enderson Ramos, 11- César Pinto.
Substitutes: 1- Robert Pérez, 2- Aníbal Rivera, 4- Fausto Escobar Salazar, 6- Jeyker Rivero, 7- Alexander Vaamonde, 8- Carlos Pérez.
Coach: Xan Lamigueiro.
Brazil (12): 12- Bobô, 4- Neto, 5- Benjamin Jr., 7- Edson Hulk, 10- Datinha (Captain).
Substitutes: 1- Giovane, 2- Alisson, 3- Antônio, 6- Brendo, 8- Thanger, 9- Rodrigo, 11- Mauricinho.
Coach: Marco Octavio de Cerqueira.
Goals
First period: 7’ Bobô (B), 9’ Neto (B), 10’ Rodrigo x2 (B). Partial score: Venezuela 0-4 Brazil
Second period:1’ Brendo (B), 3’ Datinha (B), 4’ Mauricinho (B), 5’ Enderson Ramos (V), 11’ Edson Hulk (B). Partial score: Venezuela 1-8 Brazil
Third period: 1’ Benjamin Jr. (B), 5’ Edson Hulk (B), 6’ Mauricinho (B), 8’ Alisson (B), 10’ José Semprún (V), 12’ Alexander Vaamonde (V). Final score: Venezuela 3-12 Brazil.
Cards
Third period: 11’ Yellow card for Bobô (B).
Main referee: Lucas Hernández (Uruguay).
