After defeats in three successive qualifiers, Brazil did just enough to earn the win that lifted the struggling five-time World Cup champions to fourth in the standings with 10 points.
They are eight points behind leaders Argentina and only two points over Ecuador in sixth, the last spot guaranteed a berth at the 2026 finals.
Playing their first match after a disappointing Copa America defeat to Uruguay in the quarter-final, Brazil had another lacklustre performance, dominating possession but failing to create clear chances throughout the match.
Brazil misplaced too many passes and struggled to connect up front, out of ideas on how to beat Ecuador’s rock-solid defensive block.
Ecuador were relentless while applying pressure high up with three hardworking forwards, making the locals uncomfortable when putting the ball in play. They allowed Brazil almost no room to get inside their box either, forcing them to pass the ball horizontally around their penalty area and resort to strikes from long range.
Brazil's only two shots on target on the first half were made by Rodrygo, who, after stinging the goalkeeper's hands from a free-kick early on, were lucky to break the deadlock in the 29th minute.
His effort fired from the edge of the box deflected off a defender and looped around the wrong-footed goalkeeper before hitting the right post and finding the back of the net.
Ecuador almost levelled in a counter-attack right before the break, but defender Gabriel Magalhaes denied Moises Caicedo's effort with a last-gasp goal-line clearance.
Brazil came back even worse in the second half, with an uninspired Vinicius Jr creating their only shot on target in a tense 45 minutes, with boos greeting the final whistle.
"We needed this win, doesn't matter if it was ugly or not. I'm happy with the victory and to have scored, and I hope it helps us getting better and progressing to the level that we want to reach moving forward," Rodrygo told Brazilian TV Globo.
Brazil will face Paraguay at Asuncion on Tuesday while Ecuador is set to host Peru in Quito on Monday.
