Igor Jesus, Brazil roll back the years to count on two Botafogo stars

Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique became the first Botafogo players to find the net for Brazil since 1998 as they sunk Chile 2-1 in Santiago

• Brazil claimed just their fourth qualifying win from their ninth outing last night

• They were propelled to victory over Chile by two Botafogo players

• Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique are the latest Fogo stars to wow for the national side

For Brazil, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. The reigning world champions defeated Chile 2-1 in Santiago, giving the victory more of a Botafogo flavor than any of their previous five FIFA World Cup 26TM qualifiers.

In fact, Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique from the club in Rio provided both goals for the Seleço. Igor became the first Fogo star since Bebeto did in 1998 against Denmark at France to score for the national team. He scored the equalizing goal in the first half of extra time.

Luis Henrique said after the game, "I am so happy to have [my name] alongside those Botafogo legends, who became world champions here." It is a wonderful feeling for us that that shirt represents so much.

Botafogo is the club with the most players traveling with the Brazilian national team during this international break, with three of their players being called up. This reflects the Rio de Janeiro giants' current trajectory, as they are in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals and at the top of the Brazilian Serie A table. As well as the two objective scorers, left-back Alex Telles was additionally in the crew, in spite of the fact that Lyon's Abner was liked in the beginning XI.

After scoring his first goal, Igor said, "I am very happy with the goal." The entire gathering were fabulous beginning to end. We are pleased with the victory because we were able to put our hard work from the previous week into practice today.

Dorival Junior has sought to provide opportunities for young players ever since taking over as head coach of the national team, particularly those who are playing their domestic football in Brazil.

The head coach acknowledged, "It is not easy to put together a new-look team." Today, we only had four players on the field who finished the World Cup's final game.

"We will have a very strong team in two years, but there will be bumps along the way. Igor is someone who can be dangerous around their defensive line and gave us a little more presence in the area. That hasn't happened recently, but we've seen it several times today.

Marquinhos, one of the team's most seasoned players, also mentioned the addition of new players.

He stated, "I like it when we see players come into the Brazilian national team with that personality." I spent a lot of time watching my idols play from the sideline from the bench. It's fantastic when a new player makes an immediate impact and scores a goal. We've talked to them a lot, and we want them to feel comfortable so they can continue doing what they do best for their clubs.

The two goals that came from Botafogo are just the most recent chapter in a very long history that the two shirts have had with one another. O Glorioso has supplied the Brazilian national team with more players at FIFA World Cups than any other club. Brazil has used 47 of their players for the tournaments, including some of the players who helped the country win its first three World Cups.

Nilton Santos, Didi, Zagallo, and Garrincha were Botafogo's team for Brazil's first World Cup victory in 1958. That number nearly doubled during the World Cup in Chile. Brazil brought Amarildo into the fold in addition to the remaining three players from 1958. He would become famous for taking the place of injured Pele during the tournament.

None of those five players made it onto the field in 1970. However, Zagallo was in charge, and he brought in players like Roberto Miranda, Paulo Cezar Caju, and Jairzinho, known as the "World Cup Hurricane," who scored in each of Brazil's games and helped the team win their third World Cup.

In spite of this custom, Botafogo have not had a player selected for a Brazilian World Cup squad since 2014, when goalkeeper Jefferson was selected for the final team. In 2026, will this pattern come to an end? Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique are unquestionably making a convincing case.