West Ham midfield anchor misses penalty in disappointing draw for WC dark horses

By Alessandro Schiavone in Lille

Friendly game: Brazil 1-1 Tunisia

Goals: Mastouri 23' (T), Estevão 44' penalty (B)

Lucas Paquetà missed a penalty as Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Tunisia in a friendly in Lille.

Having replaced friend and Newcastle rival Bruno Guimaraes on the hour-mark, the West Ham midfield cog blazed over having previously converted 10 in a total of 11 spot-kicks and all seven for the Hammers.

The last and only time he failed to guide home from the closest of stationary positions was against Paraguay in the Copa America in 2024.

Yet contrary to tonight it had no collateral effects on the team as Brazil ran out 4-1 winners then.

Not just Paquetà but Brazil in general were anything but refined in the final third last night.

Chelsea's Estevão tried by hook and by crook to get the Seleçao off the mark early on but his free-kick was comfortably parried by Tunisian goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.

Tunisia were resorting to illegal means to keep Carlo Ancelotti's side at bay yet the favourites failed to make the most of any of their free-kicks.

Having found themselves chasing shadows and on the back foot up until that point, Tunisia made the most of a quick counter-attack to take a shock lead.

OGC Nice player Ali Al-Abdi teed up Hazem Mastouri who tucked away to send the Tunisian fans, in vast majority at Stade Pierre Mauroy, into raptures.

One minute before the break, Chelsea wizard Estevão coolly slotted his penalty home. A Tunisian player had handled the ball in the box.

In the second-half the north Africans kept on retreating, encouraging Brazil to have a right go a them.

But the south Americans couldn't get the job done.

And that just due to the Hammers ace's howler from

12 yards out.

In the dying stages Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. blasted over while Estevão rattled the outside of the far-post with virtually the last kick of the game .

The two adopted Londoners [and Brazil in general] could certainly benefit from the potential returns of Neymar Jr. and Raphinha to boost their chances of ending 24 years of pain at the next FIFA World Cup.