Chelsea and Brazilian star João Pedro were seen throwing onto the Malacana pitch while facing Chile in the World Cup qualifiers in Rio de Janeiro
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro was left in a bad way after a clash with Brazilian teammate Gabriel Martinelli. The former Brighton star, who joined the Blues for £60 million over the summer, was seen vomiting on the pitch during World Cup qualifying against Chile.
The incident occurred in the 18th minute of the match as a Brazilian pair tried to attack a ball on a box in Chile. He was thrown into the grass in Malacana as Joao Pedro sat on the grass with attention.
The 23-year-old, who had won his fourth senior cap, recovered to play 71 minutes earlier for Caiojorge. Brazil ultimately ran the 3-0 winner thanks to goals from Estevao, Lucas Paketa and Bruno Guimarè.
Brazil is second in South American qualifying and has already booked their location for next summer’s World Cup. Their final qualifying round will compete against the Bolivian side. The Bolivian side could still make inter-confederation playoffs.
Seven Premier League players started in Brazil, and two more came out of the bench, but there was no place for Star Neymar in Santos. “It was a technical decision based on a lot of factors,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti.
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“We cannot question Neymar’s technical capabilities. What he rates every day and every match is what applies to everyone, not just him,” added Ancelotti.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned to Santos in January after a spell in Saudi Arabia. The 33-year-old scored six goals during his second spell with the club, but has not played in his country since 2023.
33-year-old Manchester United midfielder Casemiro began his third straight Brazil match after spending all of 2024 in the international wilderness. However, some felt lucky to be able to escape with just a yellow card, following the Chilean Felipe Loyola stamp.
“I want to arrive in a good way at the World Cup,” Casemiro told club media earlier this year. “I want to enjoy this year, arrive in the form of the top, and that’s the title I’m missing. So I want to win the title here. We have a new signature of the highest quality that will help us a lot.”
Brazil will become one of at least six South American national teams at the World Cup next summer. Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia and Paraguay are also qualified, but either Venezuela or Bolivia will get their second chance through the six-team playoffs in March.
Co-hosts from Canada, Mexico and the US also guarantee spots for the tournament, while New Zealand has booked spots from Oceania’s guaranteed representatives, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan, booked spots from Asian qualifiers.
In Europe, qualifying rounds began in March this year, and group stages concluded in November. All winners of the 12-person group are automatically successful, England win the first three games, with four more teams due to progress through the playoffs.
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