Brazil routs Peru to ease pressure on Dorival Junior

Brazil, whose coach Dorival Júnior was under pressure earlier this month, got some relief with a convincing performance in a 4-0 home win against Peru in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

This month's rounds of South American qualifying were important for the Brazilian coach. His team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the latest Copa America and was struggling against rivals it used to beat easily, such as Paraguay and Venezuela.

Júnior's chances of success seemed low in matches against Chile and Peru due to injuries affecting several of his starters; goalkeeper Alisson, defender Éder Militão and forward Vinicius Júnior were all out. But a last-minute win against the Chileans and a convincing display against the Peruvians will give the Brazil coach some relief.

Raphinha scored from the spot twice to put Brazil in front in Brasilia, the first in the 38th minute and the second in the 54th.

Substitute Andreas Pereira made more than 60,000 fans at the National Stadium gasp when he scored with a volley in the 71st minute. Another substitute, Luiz Henrique, scored for the second consecutive match for the national team with a classy shot from the edge of the box.

"These were two matches that we controlled well," Raphinha said. "We are far from perfection, but we are on the right track."

Uruguay, which earlier had a goalless draw with Ecuador, and Brazil both have 16 points after 10 matches in South American qualifying. The Uruguayans are in third position on goal difference.

The top six teams in the region will secure automatic berths in the next World Cup. The seventh-place team, currently Bolivia, will play in an international playoff for a spot in the tournament in 2026.