Vinicius Junior Shines on Rio Return as Brazil Crush Chile

Vinicius Jr. after scoring Brazil’s second goal against Chile in World Cup qualifying, Thursday, March 24, 2022, in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)
Vinicius Jr. after scoring Brazil’s second goal against Chile in World Cup qualifying, Thursday, March 24, 2022, in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)
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Vinicius Junior Shines on Rio Return as Brazil Crush Chile

Vinicius Jr. after scoring Brazil’s second goal against Chile in World Cup qualifying, Thursday, March 24, 2022, in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)
Vinicius Jr. after scoring Brazil’s second goal against Chile in World Cup qualifying, Thursday, March 24, 2022, in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)

Vinicius Junior celebrated a return to the Maracana stadium on Thursday with his first international goal for Brazil and a starring performance in their 4-0 thrashing of Chile.

The 21-year-old wide man played for Flamengo before sealing a transfer to Real Madrid and he excelled at his former home, taking advantage of a neat Neymar dummy to slot an angled shot past Claudio Bravo on the stroke of halftime.

The goal was wedged between penalties by Neymar and Philippe Coutinho and followed in stoppage time by a fourth goal from substitute Richarlison.

"At the Maracana with my family, there was nowhere better to score my first international goal," he said. "I'm very happy."

Sports news website Globoesporte said the player bought more than 100 tickets for friends and family.

"It's our last game in Brazil before the World Cup and we are going to thank the fans," he added. "Now we have to keep working hard and doing the right things to ensure we win the title at the end of the year."

The victory was Brazil's seventh in seven home qualifiers against Chile, who must now beat the already qualified Uruguay in their final match next Tuesday to have any hope of landing a World Cup playoff spot.



Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
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Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA

The fifth stage of the sixth annual Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia launched on Thursday, with competitors embarking on a journey from AlUla to Hail, covering a total distance of 492 km, including 428 km of timed special stages.

In the car category, American Seth Quintero of the "Toyota Gazoo" team claimed first place, completing the distance in 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds. He narrowly edged out five-time champion Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah of the "Dacia Sandrider" team by just one second. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström of the "Ford Motorsport" team secured third place, only 8 seconds behind the leader.

South African Henk Lategan of "Toyota Gazoo" retained his lead in the overall car category standings, followed by Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi of the "Overdrive" team, who held onto second place despite finishing fifth in this stage. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström maintained third place, while Al-Attiyah climbed to fourth.

In the motorcycle category, Uruguayan Luciano Benavides on the "Red Bull KTM" team excelled, finishing the stage in 4 hours and 53 minutes. He beat Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren of the "Monster Energy Honda HRC" team by 47 seconds, with Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo of "Hero Motorsports" finishing third, 1 minute and 31 seconds behind the leader.

In the lightweight "Challenger" vehicles category, Saudi driver Yasir ibn Seaidan of the "BBR" team secured first place in the fifth stage with a time of 4 hours, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds. "Rebellion & Spierings" Dutch driver Paul Spierings finished second, 8 minutes and 22 seconds behind, while Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari of the "Nasser Racing" team came third, 8 minutes and 52 seconds behind the leader.

In the "SSV" lightweight vehicles category, Chilean Francisco Lopez Contardo of the "Can-Am Factory" team claimed first place with a time of 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 26 seconds. American Brock Heger of the "Sebastien Loeb Racing" team finished second, 20 minutes and 48 seconds behind, followed closely by his teammate, Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait, 20 minutes and 51 seconds behind the leader.

In the truck category, Czech driver Martin Macík of the "MM Technology" team finished first with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 53 seconds, followed by teammate Dutchman Kees Koolen, 18 minutes and 42 seconds behind, while Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink of the "Eurol Rally Sport" team claimed third place, 39 minutes and 37 seconds behind the leader.
The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia will pause tomorrow for a rest day, allowing competitors to recover. The rally will resume on Saturday with the sixth stage, covering a route from Hail to Dawadmi, spanning 829 km, including 605 km of timed special stages.