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Uruguay back on course as Chile, Colombia lower the tone
Uruguay put their World Cup qualifying campaign back on course with a controversial 1-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday while Chile and Colombia shared four red cards and no goal in a grim encounter. Brazil eased past Bolivia 3-1, a first-minute Ronaldo goal thwarting the visitor's plans to frustrate the world champions with a packed defence, while Paraguay defender Carlos Gamarra added to his Olympic silver medal by scoring the winner against Venezuela. Brazil lead the 10-nation South American group with 16 points from eight games as the marathon tournament nears its halfway stage. Argentina, 3-1 winners over Peru on Saturday, follow with 15 and Paraguay on 14. Chile are next with 12 and only four points separate them from ninth-placed Colombia (8), with Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay (all 10) and Peru (9) sandwiched in between. Bolivia (6) prop up the table. The top four qualify directly for Germany and the fifth plays off against the Oceania region winners - either Australia or the Soloman Islands - for another place. Uruguay, beaten in their last three qualifiers, bounced back in Montevideo to win with a 58th minute Carlos Bueno header which was palmed away by goalkeeper Edwin Villafuerte only for the referee to rule the ball had crossed the line. Chile and Colombia were involved in arguably the worst of the more than 40 qualifiers played worldwide this weekend as their Santiago stalemate produced more red cards than scoring chances. Colombia midfielder John Viafara was given a straight red for clattering into Claudio Maldonado after the ball had gone in the 17th minute, while the Chilean was also dismissed though it was not clear why. Chile fullback Rodrigo Perez and Colombia substitute Jairo Patino followed for a second-half off-the-ball clash while constant bickering and play-acting by both sides also marred the game. Jeered off The teams were jeered off by the 63,000 crowd. Brazil's match in Sao Paulo was a happier affair, especially after Ronaldo's lightning strike, his seventh goal of the qualifiers. Ronaldinho made it 2-0 from a penalty in the 13th minute and Adriano headed the third just before half-time. Bolivia goalkeeper Leo Fernandez bravely kept Brazil at bay in the second half with some outstanding saves, while Luis Cristaldo, a survivor from his country's last World Cup appearance in 1994, pulled one back. "I've no doubt that the goal in the first minute changed the face of the game," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. "If we'd taken a long time to score, the crowd could have become irritated and the game could have got complicated." Brazil, who visit Germany for a friendly tomorrow, headed straight for the airport - minus Ronaldo, who was given permission to stay behind for his engagement dinner. Paraguay kept up their challenge for a third successive World Cup appearance by beating Venezuela, whose attempt to qualify for the first time is rapidly losing momentum. Venezuela have taken one point from their last three games and failed to score. Gamarra, 33, outfoxed the Venezuela defence as he rose unmarked to head the 53rd minute winner. The Paraguay captain, who played in Athens as an over-age player, helped the under-23 side finish runners-up to Argentina and claim their country's first-ever Olympic medal in any sport. |
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