The 23-year-old Real Madrid swinger scored with a shot from outside the box in the 30th minute, which was deflected by a defender and went in off the right-hand post. Victory boosted the SeleƧaoās qualifying campaign after they had lost to Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina at the end of 2023 after a 1-1 home draw with Venezuela.
Seeking an early goal to settle their nerves, the hosts almost got it when VinĆcius JĆŗnior closed down keeper HernĆ”n GalĆndez, whose clearance ricocheted off the forward and into the side netting. After Rodrygoās opener, MoisĆ©s Caicedo was denied a leveller, first by Alissonās save and then by Gabriel MagalhĆ£es, who cleared his follow-up shot off the line.
Rodrygo went close to a second goal with a near-post shot that GalĆndez pushed away, but it was Ecuador who looked the more likely to score in the closing stages. Dorival JĆŗniorās side held on and are now up to fourth in the South American table.
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