The Selecao had lost four of its previous five qualifiers before winning this one, which had left it fifth on the CONMEBOL table but perilously close to dropping out of the top eight.

The three points earned in Chile saw it move up fourth, but there is still just a three-point gap between Brazil and eighth-placed Paraguay, which beat Brazil 1-0 in the previous international break.

Given recent form, a win in Chile was a welcome relief for Dorival despite a lacklustre performance.

"We are moving step-by-step, with a lot to fix, but little by little finding the way," Dorival said after the game.

"I'm happy to see the team's maturity, even though they're very young. We had balance and tranquility."

Should Brazil fail to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, it be the first time in history that it would have been absent from the competition.

Given that it would come after it has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, giving CONMEBOL a further two qualification spots, would only add to the embarrassment.

But Dorival wanted to make it clear that he has faced selection issues over the course of this campaign.

Of the starters in Chile, only four players – Danilo, Marquinhos, Lucas Paqueta and Raphinha – started in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Alisson, Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior were all injured.

"A [team] renewal is not simple," Dorival said. 

"We don't have the structure that was set up for the previous World Cup and this ends up making the games even more difficult due to the balance between the youth of these boys and the experience of others that are there.

"We only had four players that finished the last match of the World Cup and that has considerable weight."

Despite the difficulties that both he and the team has faced, Dorival is of the belief that it will make it to the tournament to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in two years.

"We will arrive with a strong team in two years, but we will face some difficulties," he said.

Brazil defender Marquinhos came down on his coach's side when asked to give his thoughts after the match.

"Seeking changes is beside the point," he said. "I'm happy with Dorival, with the work he's been doing."

Dorival has been in the job for less than a year, having only been appointed as Brazil's head coach in January, although the Selecao also failed to impress at this year's Copa America.

The need for patience was something that Marquinhos was quick to point out.

"It's not easy, you have to give him time to understand the group he has in hand and use the pieces," he added.

"We showed that we have quality, many good players. We know the coach's ability, what a great professional and person he is.

"We are fully focused on seeking to improve and grow as a group and team."