South American Giants Struggle in World Cup Qualifiers
The CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers on Thursday saw world champions Argentina suffer a 2-1 loss to Paraguay, while Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela in a challenging night for South America’s football giants.
Argentina started the game strong with an early goal from Lautaro Martinez, whose low finish was initially ruled offside before a VAR check reversed the decision in Argentina’s favour in the 11th minute. However, Paraguay quickly responded with Antonio Sanabria equalising with an impressive bicycle kick just eight minutes later.
Paraguay’s Omar Alderete then headed in the winner shortly after halftime from a cross by Inter Miami’s Diego Gomez. Despite Lionel Messi’s efforts to set up opportunities, Argentina found it hard to break through and ultimately suffered the defeat. They still remain at the top of the standings with 22 points.
On the other hand, Brazil, who are in third place with 17 points, faced a tough challenge in Venezuela. Vinicius Junior missed a penalty after Telasco Segovia’s goal cancelled out a superb first-half free-kick from Raphinha. Venezuela’s resilient defence held off Brazil’s attacks, securing a valuable point for the hosts.
Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Ecuador climbed to fifth place with a convincing 4-0 victory over Bolivia. Gonzalo Plata scored twice after Enner Valencia’s opener, solidifying Ecuador’s position in the standings.
