Five-time world champions Brazil already had their place at the finals confirmed, while a trip to North America was out of reach for Chile, and the difference in quality was on full display early on at Rio’s iconic Maracana Stadium, as the Selecao asserted their dominance.
That didn’t result in an early opener, though, as Gabriel Magalhaes saw a header saved and Casemiro beat Lawrence Vigouroux but had his goal ruled out for offside. And while Chile started to grow into the contest after that early onslaught, blocks were still required to deny Estevao, Raphinha and Bruno Guimarães.
The hosts had a scare of their own when Ben Brereton Díaz raced behind their defence and got past Alisson Becker, but Marquinhos scampered back to deny the Derby County loanee, who was offside in any case.
Brazil still remained patient and were rewarded in the 38th minute, when Estevao acrobatically turned the ball home after it had looped up off Vigouroux’s boot as he saved Raphinha’s attempt.
Things momentarily looked worse for La Roja, as Guillermo Maripan was shown a red card for his foul on Wesley before it was downgraded to a yellow, and Paulo Diaz then saw a brilliant header saved in the first half’s final seconds.
Lucas Cepeda blazed a shot harmlessly over as Chile continued to compete, while Brazil remained dangerous with Gabriel Martinelli seeing his shot saved.
Similarly to the first half, there were periods where Brazil probed, while Nicolas Cordova’s players stayed disciplined and put their bodies on the line when required.
An extra gear was needed for Brazil to end their home qualification campaign in genuine style, and Carlo Ancelotti’s substitutes provided it, as Luiz Henrique danced into the box and dinked the ball to the back post for Lucas Paqueta to head it home mere moments after his introduction.
Just four minutes later, Henrique hit a shot that bounced off the crossbar perfectly for Bruno Guimaraes to poke it in. That put the game beyond all doubt, as Carlo Ancelotti extended his unbeaten start in the Brazil hotseat to three games without conceding.
Brazil will finish ‘best of the rest’ behind runaway table leaders Argentina if they beat Bolivia in the final qualification matchday, while a draw guarantees a top-four berth. Meanwhile, Chile must beat Uruguay to have any chance of avoiding a last-place finish - a task easier said than done after a fifth straight game without scoring.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luiz Henrique (Brazil)