Lléo
2024-10-11 03:20:56 UTC
It's halfway point at the Conmebol World Cup Qualifiers, every team has
played each other once, except for one game, to be played tomorrow.
Bolivia keeps up their recent surge in form and join the qualifying zone
for the first time in ages, vaulting past Venezuela and Paraguay. Things
remain close around the playoff spot, with three points separating the
4th and 8th placed teams.
Bolivia 1-0 Colombia
After breaking their away games drought, Bolivia moves on to the next
one at Estadio Municipal de El Alto. Although they were down to 10 men
since the 19th minute (Hector Cuellar got a straight red for a tackle
from behind), a very nice golaço by Miguelito Terceros in the 57th
minute gave the hosts their first win over Colombia in 21 years.
Colombia pressed on, but Bolivia successfully held them off.
This is the first time since 1993 that Bolivia wins three in a row in
the WCQ, also the first since it adopted the double round robin format.
Overall, the last time they pulled this out was in 2021, when they won
two qualifiers and a friendly against El Salvador. Also, this was
Bolivia's 4th win in this cycle, thus matching their total in each WCQ
they played since 1998 (excepting 2014, in which they only won two).
Unless the second half of the WCQ goes horribly wrong for them, they
might as well match or surpass their record, which is 5 wins in the 1994
qualifiers.
Bolivia steps inside the qualifying area for the first time in a very
long time (possibly since 1994? Would have to check that one). Colombia
lost its first game in this cycle, but stays safely nested up there.
Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay
Not much to say about this one, at Estadio Casa Blanca, in Quito.
Ecuador predictably made most of the play and forced Paraguayan keeper
Junior Fernandez to work hard to save the visitors a valuable away
point. Paraguay seemed happy to defend the draw and did little to
threaten the hosts.
Ecuador stays inside the qualifying zone, but their three points penalty
means they must remain on their toes. And though in principle it's not a
bad thing to pull out an away draw in Quito, Paraguay has now dropped
below the qualifying threshold.
Venezuela 1-1 Argentina
Venezuela and Argentina held each other out to a draw on the swampy
pitch of Estadio Monumental de Maturín (it had rained heavily on that
city hours before the game). Argentina scored the opener in the 12th
minute: Messi lobbed a free kick inside the Venezuelan box, goalkeeper
Romo dived to punch the ball away, it hit the face of a defender and
fell to Otamendi to just push it in. Venezuela's reply came on the
second half, on the 64th minute: Soteldo cleared a couple of
Argentinians down the left wing and crossed it for Rondón to head in the
equalizer. Both teams pushed on and forced saves from Romo and Rulli
(Argentina was without Emiliano Martinez, suspended for two games for
his camera-hitting shenanigans of last round), but the stalemate remained.
Good result for Venezuela, considering who they were playing, and kudos
to them for not folding or giving up at any point, even when a goal
down. But it is now five games without a win and they now occupy the
playoff spot. Argentina should have done better, given the difference in
quality between the two teams, but at the end of the day, Venezuela is
not that bad, they'll end this round as leaders anyway and an away point
is always an away point.
Chile 1-2 Brasil
An extremely frustrating result for the hosts, and correspondingly
relieving one for the visitors, at Estadio Nacional de Santiago. Chile
sucker-punched Brasil early on, with Vargas scoring the opener in the
first minute. But then they gave up playing and set their stall to
defend their lead, and Brasil grew back into the game. Igor Jesus
equalized at the end of the first half and Luiz Henrique completed the
comeback in the 87th minute, counting with the generosity of goalkeeper
Brayan Cortes, who decided against stretching his arms as he dived for
the ball and, predictably, could not reach it.
Not a very good game overall. Chile is intensely poor, but Brasil had a
really hard time getting through, putting out another very uninspiring
display.
Chile remains adrift near the foot of the table, looking unable to get
anywhere close even to a playoff spot. Brasil finds its way into 4th
place, but still within shooting range of the rest of the pack.
To be played tomorrow, Peru vs Uruguay.
Table at this moment [points, games, w-d-l, gs-gc, gd, (mi = media inglese)]
1 Argentina 19 9 6 1 2 13-5 8+ (mi = +2)
2 Colombia 16 9 4 4 1 9-6 3+ (mi = -1)
3 Uruguay 15 8 4 3 1 13-5 8+ (mi = -1)
4 Brasil 13 9 4 1 4 11-9 2+ (mi = -4)
5 Ecuador 12 9 4 3 2 6-4 2+ (mi = -4) (-3 points penalty)
6 Bolivia 12 9 4 0 5 11-15 4- (mi = -7)
----------------------------------------------
7 Venezuela 11 9 2 5 2 7-8 1- (mi = -8)
----------------------------------------------
8 Paraguay 10 9 2 4 3 2-3 1- (mi = -7)
9 Chile 5 9 1 2 6 5-14 9- (mi =-14)
10 Peru 3 8 0 3 5 2-10 8- (mi =-13)
Best regards,
Lléo
played each other once, except for one game, to be played tomorrow.
Bolivia keeps up their recent surge in form and join the qualifying zone
for the first time in ages, vaulting past Venezuela and Paraguay. Things
remain close around the playoff spot, with three points separating the
4th and 8th placed teams.
Bolivia 1-0 Colombia
After breaking their away games drought, Bolivia moves on to the next
one at Estadio Municipal de El Alto. Although they were down to 10 men
since the 19th minute (Hector Cuellar got a straight red for a tackle
from behind), a very nice golaço by Miguelito Terceros in the 57th
minute gave the hosts their first win over Colombia in 21 years.
Colombia pressed on, but Bolivia successfully held them off.
This is the first time since 1993 that Bolivia wins three in a row in
the WCQ, also the first since it adopted the double round robin format.
Overall, the last time they pulled this out was in 2021, when they won
two qualifiers and a friendly against El Salvador. Also, this was
Bolivia's 4th win in this cycle, thus matching their total in each WCQ
they played since 1998 (excepting 2014, in which they only won two).
Unless the second half of the WCQ goes horribly wrong for them, they
might as well match or surpass their record, which is 5 wins in the 1994
qualifiers.
Bolivia steps inside the qualifying area for the first time in a very
long time (possibly since 1994? Would have to check that one). Colombia
lost its first game in this cycle, but stays safely nested up there.
Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay
Not much to say about this one, at Estadio Casa Blanca, in Quito.
Ecuador predictably made most of the play and forced Paraguayan keeper
Junior Fernandez to work hard to save the visitors a valuable away
point. Paraguay seemed happy to defend the draw and did little to
threaten the hosts.
Ecuador stays inside the qualifying zone, but their three points penalty
means they must remain on their toes. And though in principle it's not a
bad thing to pull out an away draw in Quito, Paraguay has now dropped
below the qualifying threshold.
Venezuela 1-1 Argentina
Venezuela and Argentina held each other out to a draw on the swampy
pitch of Estadio Monumental de Maturín (it had rained heavily on that
city hours before the game). Argentina scored the opener in the 12th
minute: Messi lobbed a free kick inside the Venezuelan box, goalkeeper
Romo dived to punch the ball away, it hit the face of a defender and
fell to Otamendi to just push it in. Venezuela's reply came on the
second half, on the 64th minute: Soteldo cleared a couple of
Argentinians down the left wing and crossed it for Rondón to head in the
equalizer. Both teams pushed on and forced saves from Romo and Rulli
(Argentina was without Emiliano Martinez, suspended for two games for
his camera-hitting shenanigans of last round), but the stalemate remained.
Good result for Venezuela, considering who they were playing, and kudos
to them for not folding or giving up at any point, even when a goal
down. But it is now five games without a win and they now occupy the
playoff spot. Argentina should have done better, given the difference in
quality between the two teams, but at the end of the day, Venezuela is
not that bad, they'll end this round as leaders anyway and an away point
is always an away point.
Chile 1-2 Brasil
An extremely frustrating result for the hosts, and correspondingly
relieving one for the visitors, at Estadio Nacional de Santiago. Chile
sucker-punched Brasil early on, with Vargas scoring the opener in the
first minute. But then they gave up playing and set their stall to
defend their lead, and Brasil grew back into the game. Igor Jesus
equalized at the end of the first half and Luiz Henrique completed the
comeback in the 87th minute, counting with the generosity of goalkeeper
Brayan Cortes, who decided against stretching his arms as he dived for
the ball and, predictably, could not reach it.
Not a very good game overall. Chile is intensely poor, but Brasil had a
really hard time getting through, putting out another very uninspiring
display.
Chile remains adrift near the foot of the table, looking unable to get
anywhere close even to a playoff spot. Brasil finds its way into 4th
place, but still within shooting range of the rest of the pack.
To be played tomorrow, Peru vs Uruguay.
Table at this moment [points, games, w-d-l, gs-gc, gd, (mi = media inglese)]
1 Argentina 19 9 6 1 2 13-5 8+ (mi = +2)
2 Colombia 16 9 4 4 1 9-6 3+ (mi = -1)
3 Uruguay 15 8 4 3 1 13-5 8+ (mi = -1)
4 Brasil 13 9 4 1 4 11-9 2+ (mi = -4)
5 Ecuador 12 9 4 3 2 6-4 2+ (mi = -4) (-3 points penalty)
6 Bolivia 12 9 4 0 5 11-15 4- (mi = -7)
----------------------------------------------
7 Venezuela 11 9 2 5 2 7-8 1- (mi = -8)
----------------------------------------------
8 Paraguay 10 9 2 4 3 2-3 1- (mi = -7)
9 Chile 5 9 1 2 6 5-14 9- (mi =-14)
10 Peru 3 8 0 3 5 2-10 8- (mi =-13)
Best regards,
Lléo