Carlo Ancelotti began his tenure in charge of the Brazil national team with a goalless draw at Ecuador which was short on both quality and chances on Thursday.

Ancelotti was managing his first match for Brazil since leaving Real Madrid at the end of the Spanish domestic season, with the Selecao having been managerless since March after sacking Dorival Junior.

While the result helps both teams towards their goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the performance from the visitors was some way short of what was expected.

Brazil found it difficult to break down an obdurate Ecuador defence, with Vinicius Junior having the clearest sight on goal in the first half.

Vinicius' effort was well-saved by goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle, though the home goalkeeper was not tested again for the remainder of the half.

Ecuador's resistance was understandable, given that they came into this match on the back of a 14-match unbeaten run at home and things could have got even better for them after the break.

John Yeboah split the Brazilian defence with a through ball for Nilson Angulo, though the latter was called offside when presented with a chance.

Brazil tested Valle once more in the match, through Casemiro's long-range shot, while Richarlison should have made him work but failed to capitalise on Vinicius' impressive pass.

Following the draw, Ecuador stay second in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, 10 points behind the already-qualified Argentina. Brazil are fourth, a further two points back and crucially, seven points above the play-off spot with just three games remaining.

Elsewhere, Uruguay were beaten 2-0 away to Paraguay in a match that kicked off at the same time. The result means Marcelo Bielsa's side drop one place and one point below Brazil, while Paraguay are third and level on points with Ecuador.

Data debrief: Stale performance to start Ancelotti era

Neither side managed an expected goals (xG) total of over 0.5, with Ecuador registering 0.46 and Brazil's total down at just 0.38 after having just three attempts on goal overall, and two on target.

In a poor encounter, both teams created what Opta define as a big chance just once each during the match.

For Ecuador though, the draw represented their 15th straight game without defeat at home, while they have now impressively kept 10 clean sheets in their last 15 World Cup qualifiers.