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ago 28 2026Brazil had scored over 100 points in three straight games and remained undefeated in Qatar 2027 World Cup qualifying. None of that mattered Thursday at Ginásio Nilson Nelson: Dominican Republic pulled off a 90-94 victory with a dominant second half, handing the hosts their first loss of the campaign.
Brazil's first half, Dominican Republic's second half
The script seemed written from the opening tip. Leo Meindl poured in 13 points in the first five minutes, Brazil went up 29-18 in the first quarter and reached halftime with an eight-point lead (58-50), giving the impression the game was already decided. It wasn't. Head coach Néstor "Ché" García's team came out of the locker room pressing full-court, disrupted Brazil's offense, won the third quarter 25-14 and flipped the scoreboard (75-72). The final period was a back-and-forth possession battle that also went the visitors' way, 19-18.
The 54 points that decided it
Jean Montero finished with 30 points, 5-of-9 from three, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. It's his best scoring output with the senior national team and comes just before his debut with Olympiacos, the destination he chose after four seasons at Valencia Basket. Alongside him, Andrés Feliz fell one assist short of a double-double: 24 points and 9 assists, plus 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. The Real Madrid point guard once again proved to be the one who takes control when games get tight—exactly what the white club signed him to do.
Behind them, experience. Joel Soriano nearly posted a double-double himself (13 and 9), Andersson García grabbed six rebounds and David Jones contributed eight points. This roster also includes Ángel Delgado, who will join UNICS Kazan once this window closes. For Brazil, Meindl finished with 19 and Raúl Neto and Bruno Caboclo each added 14.
What this result means
Beyond breaking Brazil's undefeated streak, this victory ends a long drought: the Dominicans had lost their last six matchups against Brazil and hadn't beaten the Seleção since September 2011. In the standings, Dominican Republic climbs to 5-2 while Brazil drops to 6-1 in Group E, which also includes the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. The top three finishers from each group plus the best fourth-place team will claim the seven FIBA Americas spots for Qatar.
The window closes Monday the 31st: Dominican Republic hosts Chile at Arena BanReservas in Santo Domingo and Brazil visits Mexico. Then comes November, with two difficult road trips to Colombia and Chile that, as Diario Libre noted, will truly determine who books their ticket to Qatar.
