“Woke up one day and locked in” – $13 million Barcelona star wins internet with stunning free-kick for Brazil

Barcelona star Raphinha left fans awestruck with his impressive free-kick goal for Brazil, in a 1-1 WC qualifier draw against Venezuela.

“Woke up one day and locked in” – $13 million Barcelona star wins internet with stunning free-kick for Brazil

Brazilian star Raphinha scored a brilliant free-kick goal in a 1-1 draw against Venezuela. (via New York Times)

Barcelona skipper Raphinha continued with his impressive form, taking the internet by storm after scoring a brilliant free-kick goal for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier match. His goal however, was not enough as Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela. 

The two teams shared a similar scoreline, when they last faced each other at the Arena Pantanal in Brazil, a year ago. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 43rd minute with a superb free-kick. However, the home side equalized just 41 seconds after the half-time, through Telasco Segovia‘s strike. The visitors missed a golden opportunity to restore their lead, as Vinicius Jr. failed to capitalize on a 62nd minute penalty. The draw keeps Brazil in the 3rd position on the qualification table, five points behind leaders Argentina. 

YouTube video

Coming back to Raphinha, he scored Brazil’s only goal by curling in a free-kick from 20 yards out, over the Venezuelan defense. His strike that entered the net after hitting the post, left goal-keeper Rafael Romo awestruck. It marked the 27-year-old’s 15th goal of the season, in 20 appearances for both club and country. Raphinha wore the iconic no.10 shirt for the Selecao, showing how important he is for Brazil. He had scored a similar free-kick goal from 25-yards out, in a previous qualifier match against Colombia.

FS Video

Moreover, Raphinha has now scored nine goals and provided three assists in his last eight matches. It will be interesting to see whether the midfielder’s creative abilities and productivity in front of the goal will be enough to play down the solid Uruguayan defense in their upcoming qualifier match.

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Fans praise Raphinha for his brilliant free-kick for Brazil, in a 1-1 draw against Venezuela

Barcelona star Raphinha’s brilliant free-kick for the Brazilian national side, in a 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw against Venezuela, left fans amazed. They shared their reactions on social media, praising the 27-year-old’s blistering recent form. 

Raphinha fans Brazil
Fans praised Raphinha for his impressive form this season, for both Brazil and Barcelona. (via X)

One fan took note of the midfielder’s impressive form, exclaiming that he woke up and started to fire this season. Another compared him to the likes of Brazilian star Neymar Jr., who has remained out of the squad due to persistent injury woes. Here are some of the reactions:

The match against Venezuela ended on a dramatic note, with Alexander Gonzalez receiving a red card in the 89th minute. He was penalized for lashing out at Vinicius, after punching Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli on the face.