A much-anticipated first-round matchup in the South American zone of the World Cup qualifying tournament played out as expected in the morning sun on Sunday. Brazil debuted with a resounding 5-1 win, with Bolivia at their feet. The star of the show, Nima, made up his own saga in this dramatic duel, not only missing a penalty and receiving a yellow card, but also giving an assist and scoring a goal himself, eventually surpassing the late Ballon d'Or winner Pele as the new holder of the Brazilian national team's goal scoring record with 79 goals.
Nima moved to Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in the middle of last month, but due to injury problems, he has not been able to suit up for the Saudi side. However, in his first game back, the 31-year-old striker scored in the 17th minute, but his shot was neither angled nor powerful enough to be easily saved by the goalkeeper. Perhaps due to emotional turmoil, Nima then retaliated on the pitch and was shown a yellow card by the referee. Nonetheless, the Brazilian team still relied on its strong strength and opened the match with a brilliant finish by Lodi Goss in the 24th minute, who took advantage of the opportunity in front of the goal.
