Uruguay and Colombia clash in South American qualifiers

Venezuela 1-1 Argentina

Ultimately, it was a complicated encounter for the World Cup champions. Not only did they miss goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but also their hosts Venezuela, both buoyed by promising form and helped by some atrocious playing conditions.

As far as ‘vino tinto’ goes, a soggy pitch leveled the playing field that night and the likes of Lionel Messi and co really struggled to get into any sort of rhythm.

This result means that Venezuela now have 11 points from the first half of the campaign and are seventh in the play-offs, while Argentina remain at the top of the table, now three points clear of second-placed Colombia.

Bolivia 1-0 Colombia

El Alto has another victim. Secondly, Colombia joins the list of teams that have failed to conquer the dizzying heights of this Bolivian city. Despite receiving a red card in the first half, the hosts had enough to overcome the goal and seal their third consecutive victory in the qualifying phase, something Bolivia had not achieved since 1993.

For Colombia, it was a difficult defeat in difficult conditions and, as I mentioned, it is normal for good teams to falter in Bolivia. They literally didn’t have enough oxygen in the tank but returned to more familiar conditions in Barranquilla for the next game, with the birth of the 2026 World Cup still looking intact.

Chile 1-2 Brazil

This battle of in-form teams saw quality reign as five-time World Cup winners Brazil picked up three vital points after a tumultuous first half of the campaign. National talents Luis Henrique and Igor Jesus, both from Botafogo, scored goals in a late winner that helped Brazil avoid total panic.

Still unconvincing and a goal down after just two minutes, Brazil are still fighting to qualify, but unless they can even out their team balance and figure out who their Best XI really is, then they won’t be considered at all. as favorites for the tournament that is less than two years away. For Chile, the bad phase continues and they are at the bottom of the table with five points.

Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay

As mentioned, both teams find themselves in a decent position in the qualifying league and would have seen themselves as direct rivals for a place in the 2026 World Cup before this game began. With that in mind, it’s no big surprise that both settled for a point rather than really grabbing this game by the scruff of the neck and risking a heartbreaking defeat against an opponent.

Although Ecuador dominated the game, they forced the Paraguayan goalkeeper to make just five saves, and all the shots came from distance.

Peru 1-0 Uruguay

The lively performance of hosts Peru was the biggest surprise of this round. They defeated Uruguay 1-0 in Lima to secure their first victory of the entire qualifying campaign. Peru’s first win and third goal in nine games also lifted them from bottom of the table, as they leapfrogged Chile into ninth place.

Miguel Araujo’s late header means Uruguay have now gone three rounds without a win or a goal. As a result, what seemed like a certain classification for Uruguay is now not so certain and there are only four points separating them with the non-automatic classification below.