Brazil fought back in a nervy international friendly on Friday, with Rayan pulling the hosts to a 1-1 draw against Australia with a dramatic header in the 95th minute.
After the brilliant Australian youngster Nestory Irankunda made a sensational free-kick halfway through the second half, Brazil looked poised for defeat. The forward put the puck past another defence wall and into the hands of goalkeeper Hugo Souza, who couldn’t reach it, giving the home side a chance at a memorable win.
Australia had taken a lot of the early game, taking advantage of the width of the pitch and continually probing Brazil’s defense. In the opening three minutes, Connor Metcalfe was near the end of the range when Irankunda came up big with a strong effort to keep Souza out.
The Brazilian side gradually got into the groove with the Barcelona’s forward, Raphinha, and the Chelsea’s attacker Estevao as the principal threats. Raphinha came into a fine opportunity after 20 minutes, slotting past Australian keeper Patrick Beach, but a few minutes later Estevao forced him to make a second outstanding save.
Australia had been organised after taking the lead, but Brazil put the pressure on in the final stages. The visitors were gradually getting lower to try to hold on to the lead.
They were relentless until the last, when substitute Rayan came out of the box to head the ball into the net in stoppage time, the 95th minute. The equaliser denied Australia their second win over Brazil and helped to complete a dramatic finish in front of a sellout crowd.
Brazil’s coach Carlo Ancelotti accepted the challenging situation, but congratulated his team for fighting to the end. It is a crucial clash between two teams exiting prematurely from this year’s World Cup, and it will also be a chance for both sides to test out player rotations and combinations ahead of their next big international challenges.
