Brazil vs. Colombia: Score and Reaction for 2017 Friendly

Brazil needed just one big moment to defeat Colombia 1-0 in an international friendly Wednesday night.

The match was created last month to raise money for victims of the Chapecoense plane crash. The Brazilian club lost 19 players in the incident, and the proceeds from this match will go to help the victims' families.

The event was referred to as a "Game of Friendship." 

The Selecao only featured players on Brazilian clubs, which left out many of the nation's biggest stars playing professionally in Europe. This provided a chance for some of the younger players and castoffs to show what they could do at the international level.

Dudu is one who might see more playing time going forward after a solid outing. He played well on the attack and was responsible for the only goal in the match, heading the ball in off a rebound in the 47th minute.

Carl Worswick of BBC provided the key points of the match:

Robinho had some solid moments on the pitch, as did the man who replaced him in the second half, Diego. Weverton also had a strong showing in net for Brazil, earning a clean sheet with two quality saves.

Miguel Borja and Daniel Bocanegra were arguably the most active for Colombia, but the visitors were unable to come through with a score.

There were a decent number of chances early, with neither side capable of breaking through with a goal.

Borja appeared ready to give Colombia an early lead with a great opportunity in the seventh minute, but Weverton was just able to get a hand on the shot to deflect it away.

Mateus Uribe provided yet another opportunity to get on the scoresheet with a beautiful header that Macnelly Torres had set up. Unfortunately, the shot hit the right post before being safely cleared away by Brazil.

Meanwhile, Brazil had a few solid chances of its own with Lucas Lima and Robinho both getting good shots that failed to go through.

Selecao Brasileira described one effort from the veteran:

Missed opportunities like this helped the score remain at 0-0 going into halftime despite solid play from the two teams.

Mani Djazmi of BBC also added the atmosphere might not have been up to the standards of a friendly:

The home team finally broke the tie at the start of the second half when Dudu scored the game's opening goal in the 47th minute. Fagner crossed the ball to Diego Souza, whose shot was blocked, but Dudu was there to clean things up with a header into the open net.

Rupert Fryer of Brasil Global Tour noted the difference from the first half:

Colombia had a chance at the equalizer only a few minutes later on a free kick in the 52nd minute, but Weverton stopped a quality shot from Bocanegra to keep the score 1-0.

Each side earned a few more opportunities as the match progressed, although Brazil maintained the majority of possession to stay in control.

Although Brazil picked up its third yellow card in extra time, Colombia couldn't capitalize and ended up with a 1-0 loss.

It was far from a perfect effort from the Selecao, but they did enough to remain undefeated in seven matches under Tite.

Both teams will now turn their attention back to CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, which returns with key matches in March. Brazil is at the top of the table but will take on Uruguay and Paraguay during the next break.

Colombia wouldn't be in the World Cup if qualifying ended now, which means the squad has work to do. There is time to make up ground, but it will need solid performances in contests against Bolivia and Ecuador.

Post-Match Reaction

While Brazil earned the 1-0 win, it's clear the result didn't matter as much as the fundraiser to those involved.

"This was more than a game," Diego said, per Andrew Downie of Reuters. "I had the chance to be with Follmann and Neto, they are heroes. They are heroes and anything we can do to help them then we'll be there."

Brazil manager Tite even took it a step further.

"I wish there was no winner today," the coach said, per Selecao Brasileira. "It's about Chapecoense."

In a competitive sport like this, it's nice for the players and coaches to be able to take a step back and realize what is really important.