Gabriel made his full Brazil debut on Friday night as he helped his side to a 5-1 win against Bolivia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
After being named in squads in November 2021 and January 2022, our defender was still awaiting his first cap but all that changed when manager Fernando Diniz handed Gabi a start in Belem, lining up against PSG centre-back Marquinhos at the heart of the backline.
Gabi would play 84 minutes of the encounter which saw the Selecao run riot. Neymar missed a penalty before Rodrygo put them 1-0 up at the break, who would complete his brace after Raphinha had doubled the lead.
Then Neymar finally made history by scoring twice to surpass Pele as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, while Victor Abrego got on the scoresheet for Bolivia.
Gabriel Jesus entered the fray in the final minutes to win his 60th cap, with Gabriel Martinelli remained on the bench.
The trio will be hoping for more gametime when Brazil take on Peru on Tuesday in Lima.
Meanwhile, David Raya was an unused substitute as Spain thrashed Georgia 7-1 in Tblisi to leapfrog Martin Odegaard’s Norway into second spot in Group A, but behind runaway leaders Scotland who maintained their 100 per cent start in Cyprus, with Kieran Tierney starting for Steve Clarke’s side.
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