In the first Conmebol World Cup Qualifier game that saw two players sent off and several major refereeing decisions overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR), Ecuador drew 1-1 at home against Brazil.

It strengthened Ecuadors' prospects of qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. This is the final stretch before the huge tournament happens in December.

The Ecuador vs. Brazil match was a full-fledged conflict, as it always is in these South American contests. Brazil, which has already qualified for the tournament in Qatar, took the lead in the sixth minute when Carlos Henrique Casimiro scored an empty goal.

But it was Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan who grabbed the most attention by getting a number of important decisions overturned following a video review, with Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker being issued a red card twice, only to have both of them revoked.

1st Conmebol World Cup Qualifier Game Seems Like a 'UFC Fight'

The first half of this game seemed far more like a "UFC fight" than a football match with so many flying kicks. Wilmar Roldan did not even declare for a foul when Ecuador goalkeeper Alexánder Dominguez slammed his studs into forward Matheus Cunha's neck as he pushed for a ball on the edge of the area in the 16th minute.

Dominguez was given a straight red card after a VAR review. A second yellow card was given to Brazil defender Emerson Royal in the 20th minute. And Alisson Becker appeared to be the third player to be sent off 10 minutes later after slapping an opponent in the head with his leg during a clearance.

After VAR intervened, Wilmar Roldan altered his mind and has issued a yellow card instead. The second half had a similar theme as the Colombian referee awarded Ecuador two penalties, but both judgments were reversed after a review.

The second penalty was in injury time and involved Alisson Becker getting a second yellow, which was also canceled. The draw Ecuador might secure their spot in Qatar with a win at Peru on Tuesday. Brazil was playing without injured star Neymar.

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Ecuador Closer to World Cup

Despite all of the reckless challenges, "Tite" decided to keep the 0-1 score alive, but the Ecuadorian team refused to give up.

Ecuador went to great lengths to score the goal to put them one step closer to achieving their World Cup ambition. With 15 minutes left on the clock, Felix Torres was the man of the hour for the team's equalizer with a heroic header.

For the second time in the game, VAR reversed Wilmar Roldan's effort to send Becker to the bench for another unsuccessful red card.

With these results, Brazil remains undefeated in this World Cup Qualifying campaign, and the locals are still strong in third place with a total of 24 points.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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