Bolivia was seen as the ideal opponent to that Brazil would once again convince its fans and confirm its reaction, which began with the victory 3-0 away to Chile in Santiago. Bottom of the table and with the worst defense in the competition with 20 goals conceded, the Bolivians ended up complicating the match for Brazil. Apathetic, the Brazilian team couldn't break the 0-0 deadlock, failing to impose themselves on the weak Andean team. There was a lot of talk about the Brazilians avoiding over-enthusiasm for the game against the weak Bolivian team, but what seemed like a simple task for those who managed to beat the Chileans led by Marcelo Bielsa turned out to be a huge complication for Dunga's men.
The match, which was supposed to be a confirmation of Brazil's return to good soccer after their disappointing performance at the Beijing Olympics, ended with the same scoreline as the first half, and the team failed even once to get in front of the Bolivian goal with a real chance of scoring.
When the errors in Brazil's playmaking became recurrent, with Diego and Ronaldinho Gaúcho persistently trying to activate Luís Fabiano, who was excessively marked by the Bolivian defense, the first boos began to erupt from the few fans who were willing to pay the prohibitive ticket prices and make their way to the João Havelange Stadium.
Well set up by coach Erwin Sánchez, who did not lead the team from the bench due to suspension, Bolivia maintained great tactical discipline throughout the game.
Barring all of the home side's attacking opportunities and closely marking Brazil's playmakers, as well as practically nullifying Brazil's focal point in attack, Luís Fabiano, the Andean defense also triggered a well-rehearsed offside line on several occasions.
Brazil were only able to reach Carlos Arias' goal in the 18th minute when, taking advantage of a gap in his marking, Maicon ran with the ball down the right flank and crossed for Luis Fabiano who, off balance, was unable to complete the goal.
Shortly afterwards, the Bolivians gave Júlio César a scare for the only time in the first 45 minutes, when Ronald García took a shot from outside the area, forcing the Brazilian goalkeeper to parry the ball at the feet of Marcelo Moreno, formerly of Cruzeiro, who wasted the rebound.
The Bolivian team, coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Ecuador in Quito, continued to play well in the second half, while Brazil maintained their bovine stance, hardly giving the visitors a scare. Only Juan, who had already been playing well in the first half, made an effort to send the team forward - to no avail.
Impatient, the fans intensified their booing and even shouted "Goodbye, Dunga", calling for the coach's departure. Looking nervous on the bench, the coach even tried to fix the team during the second half, bringing on Júlio Baptista, but it had little effect on the players' attitude. "Donkey, donkey, donkey," insisted the disappointed fans.
With the result, Brazil remain in second place in the qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but could still be overtaken by Argentina, who face Peru later this evening.
In the next round, the ninth and last of the first qualifying round, Brazil face Venezuela on October 12 away from home, while Bolivia take on Peru the day before.
