Australia vs Brazil: Connor Metcalfe puts the Socceroos ahead, then two penalties hand Ancelotti’s Brazil a 4-2 win in Brisbane

Australia vs Brazil finished 2-4 at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday night, and for about 12 minutes of the first half the Socceroos were beating the five time world champions. Alessandro Circati and Connor Metcalfe turned an early deficit into a 2-1 lead, before a VAR penalty on the stroke of half time and two late blows gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side the win in front of a sell out crowd of 52,423, a record for a football match at the Brisbane ground according to the ABC and Football Australia.

It was the second of two friendlies between the sides in five days. The first, in Townsville on Friday, September 25, ended 1-1.

How the goals went in

Brazil needed three minutes. Right back Vanderson finished off an early move to make it 0-1, and goalkeeper Patrick Beach then had to block two Raphinha efforts in quick succession to stop the visitors running away with it, as both the ABC and AAP reported.

Australia answered on 28 minutes through centre back Alessandro Circati. Five minutes later Connor Metcalfe took a touch on the edge of the area and curled a left footed shot into the top corner. ESPN and Football Australia both timed the goal at 33 minutes, and it put the hosts 2-1 up.

The lead lasted until the last action of the half. After a long VAR review of a Harry Souttar challenge on Danilo Santos, Raphinha scored the penalty to make it 2-2 at the break. Raphinha did not come out for the second half. ESPN’s lineup shows Endrick replacing him at half time.

That change shaped the rest of the night. Midway through the second half Endrick and Souttar clashed, the pushing spilled towards the Australian bench, and both players were booked. Moments after play restarted, Endrick set up Bruno Guimarães for 2-3, a goal ESPN and the ABC put at 69 minutes. Ten minutes from time Vinícius Júnior was brought down in the box by Nestory Irankunda and sent the penalty home himself for 2-4, as reported by AAP and beIN Sports.

Australia vs Brazil key numbers

The scoreline flatters neither side completely. Possession was almost even, but Brazil created far more, and Beach was the busier goalkeeper by a distance. These figures come from ESPN’s match data.

Two numbers stand out. Australia scored with both of their shots on target, which tells you how clinical that first half spell was. And 19 fouls from the home side shows how hard they tried to disrupt Brazil’s rhythm, sometimes at the cost of free kicks and, in the end, two penalties.

What the coaches said

Ancelotti was generous about the hosts. Speaking after the game, as quoted by the ABC, he said: “They press really well. They are really well organised.”

Tony Popovic took the same line about his own team. “This was another step forward for us, against outstanding players,” the Socceroos coach said, according to the ABC. Across the two games Australia drew one and lost one against a Brazil side that brought Vinícius, Raphinha and Guimarães across the world, which is the kind of test Popovic wanted before a tournament.

What’s next for the Socceroos

These were Australia’s last home games before the AFC Asian Cup. Football Australia has confirmed two away friendlies in the November window, which Popovic called “our last FIFA international window” before the tournament:

• Qatar vs Australia: Friday, November 13, at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. Kickoff is 5:45pm Doha time, which is 2:45pm GMT, 9:45am ET, 7:45pm PKT and 1:45am AEDT on Saturday, November 14.
• Jordan vs Australia: Tuesday, November 17, in Amman. Football Australia has not yet announced the venue or kickoff time.

Then comes the big one. The 2027 AFC Asian Cup runs from January 7 to February 5 in Saudi Arabia, and Australia are in Group D with Singapore, Iraq and Tajikistan. Football Australia lists the opener against Singapore for January 9. We could not yet confirm a kickoff time for that game from two sources, so we will add it once it is locked in.

Quick explainer: why friendlies like this matter

Friendlies carry no points, but they still count towards FIFA ranking points, and ranking positions decide seeding for future draws. More practically, only the November window is left before the Asian Cup, so every minute against top opposition is a chance for Popovic to settle his first choice XI. For context on how this side got here, read our report on Australia’s World Cup draw with Paraguay.

Sources

• ESPN: Australia 2-4 Brazil match report and stats
• ABC News: Socceroos fall to 4-2 Brazil defeat
• AAP: Socceroos bring out Brazil’s best in fiery rematch
• beIN Sports: Australia 2-4 Brazil
• Football Australia: Socceroos to face Qatar and Jordan
• 2027 AFC Asian Cup groups and dates