Brazil struggle in Ancelotti’s World Cup debut with 0-0 draw vs Ecuador; remain 4th in qualifiers ahead of Paraguay clash.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw Thursday in a South American World Cup qualifying game that marked Carlo Ancelotti's debut as national team coach. The match in Guayaquil offered few scoring opportunities for either team, and featured once again a Brazilian lineup that struggled to be creative.Ecuador edged closer to one of the direct World Cup spots by maintaining second place in the round robin competition with 24 points. Brazil is in fourth place with 22 points. The top six teams in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.Also Thursday, Paraguay moved into third spot in the standings with 24 points after a 2-0 home win over Uruguay, which dropped to fifth. Matías Galarza scored the opener in the 13th minute and Julio Enciso added a second from the spot in the 81st. World Cup champion Argentina, which has already secured its place at the 2026 global tournament, was playing 10th-place Chile later Thursday.Ancelotti's changesAnceIottti…

Carlo Ancelotti already has most of his squad and is starting the first training session as new coach to qualify for the South American qualifiers.