Brazil head coach Dorival Junior has said he is cautiously optimistic that his national team is heading in the right direction after their victory over Chile in World Cup qualifying.

Dorival’s side had won just three and lost four of their eight qualifying matches before Thursday’s 2-1 win.

An 89th-minute goal from Botafogo striker Luiz Henrique lifted Brazil to fourth place in the standings, six points behind leaders Argentina.

“We are moving forward step by step and still have a lot of repairs to do, but little by little we are finding our way,” Dorival said after the match.

“I’m happy to see the maturity of the team, even though they are still very young. We had balance and calm.”

Dorival was keen to point out that only four of the players in Thursday’s starting XI – Danilo, Marquinhos, Lucas Paquetá and Raphinha – started for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

“A (team) renewal is not easy,” he said. “We don’t have the structure that was put in place for the last World Cup and this makes the matches even more difficult because of the balance between the youth of these boys and the experience of others who are there.

“We only had four players who played the last game of the World Cup and that has quite a bit of weight.”

Dorival remained optimistic that his team will be ready for the 2026 World Cup.

“In two years we will arrive with a strong team, but we will face some problems,” he said.

Thursday’s late victory, thanks to goals from Botafogo strikers Igor Jesus and Henrique, brought relief after significant criticism following recent results.

Starting on Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos said it is only a matter of time before Brazil wins both consistently and convincingly, as he argued a coaching change is not the answer.

Dorival was under pressure after Brazil’s poor performance in a 1–0 defeat to Paraguay on 10 September.

“Seeking changes is irrelevant,” Marquinhos said. “I am happy with Dorival, with the work he does.

“It’s not easy, you have to give him time to understand the group he has in hand and use the pieces. Today we showed that we have quality, a lot of good players. We know the capabilities of the coach, what a great professional and person he is.

“We are completely focused on improving and growing as a group and team.”

Brazil will receive fighter Peru on October 15 in Brasilia. They will have to do without West Ham midfielder Paquetá, who is suspended.