Tight at the top as Messi fires Argentina - Fifa.com

THE DAY REPLAYED – Continuing a trend that emerged at this year’s Copa America, the South American qualifying competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ looks set to be one of the tightest since the current round-robin league system was introduced. With four rounds of games now completed, the top five sides in the nine-team group are separated by a single point, while bottom-placed Bolivia are the only outfit yet to record a win.

FIFA.com rounds up all the news from Tuesday’s quartet of games in the CONMEBOL Zone.

Match of the day
Colombia 1-2 Argentina
Goals: Dorlan Pabon 45 (Colombia); Lionel Messi 60, Sergio Aguero 84 (Argentina)

Things looked bleak for Argentina when Javier Mascherano inadvertently deflected Dorlan Pabon’s low free-kick into the back of the net to end a largely uneventful first half. Switching his side around in the second 45 minutes, Alejandro Sabella found the perfect ally for Lionel Messi in Sergio Aguero, and though his side failed to produce their best football, they will take great heart from fashioning a late turnaround. The win was La Albiceleste’s fourth FIFA World Cup qualifying triumph on Colombian soil and the second for Sabella, who was assistant coach to Daniel Passarella in their 1-0 win in 1997, a game also played in Barranquilla.

Elsewhere
Argentina’s hard-earned victory took them level with Uruguay on seven points at the top of the section, where they would be joined a few hours later by Venezuela, 1-0 winners over Bolivia. As was the case in their ground-breaking defeat of the Argentinians last month, the hero of the hour for La Vinotinto was a centre-half. Following the trail blazed by Fernando Amorebieta a few weeks ago, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo settled the issue with a 24th-minute header, leaving the still-winless Bolivians bottom of the group.

Cristian Benitez turned in another fine performance as Ecuador saw off Peru 2-0 in Quito to move into fourth place, a point adrift of the leading trio. Benitez it was who set up experienced midfielder Edison Mendez for his 11th goal in FIFA World Cup qualifying, the striker then capping the win by prodding home a rebound with a minute remaining.

Rocked last week by disciplinary problems and a heavy defeat to a rampant Uruguay side, Chile recovered their poise with a timely 2-0 defeat of Paraguay in Santiago. Pablo Contreras set La Roja on the way with his first goal for his country since 2003, with Matias Campos adding the second after the break as the Chileans moved fifth on six points, one off the pace. Winners in Peru on their last two world finals qualifying visits, the Paraguayans now find themselves down in seventh place.

Player of the day
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Returning to the country where he scored his first goal in Albiceleste colours six years ago, at the 2005 South American U-20 Championship, the Argentinian captain showed his character by calling for the ball at every opportunity, netting his side’s equaliser and playing a part in their winner. A scorer in the same fixture four years ago, a 2-1 win for Colombia in Bogota, Messi can be happy with his afternoon’s work in Barranquilla.

The stat
34 - The number of years Ecuador have now gone without losing to Peru in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Since going down in Lima in the qualifying competition for Argentina 1978, La Tricolor have faced the Peruvians nine times, winning six of those matches (the last three consecutively) and drawing the other three.

What they said
“I don’t want to sound pompous, but I think the players were playing for me today. I celebrated more today than in any other game I’ve coached, after one of the toughest weeks of my career as a coach and player. At the same time, I’ve never been so sure of the decisions I’ve made.” Chile coach Claudio Borghi reacts to his side’s win over Paraguay.

Results (Tuesday 15 November)
Colombia 1-2 Argentina
Ecuador 2-0 Peru
Chile 2-0 Paraguay
Venezuela 1-0 Bolivia
No game: Uruguay

Uruguay cut loose, Argentina frustrated - Fifa.com

THE DAY REPLAYED – In the days leading up to the 11 November 2011, much had been said around the world about the ill omens and paranormal implications of this curious date in the calendar. Yet 11/11/11 turned out to be emphatically positive for Uruguay and in particular their striker Luis Suarez, who inspired a rout of Chile to send La Celeste clear at the top of the South American Zone standings.

Faring less well were Argentina and Colombia, who dropped points at home against Bolivia and Venezuela. FIFA.com reviews the action on a matchday which also featured Paraguay’s first win in 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualifying.

Match of the day
Uruguay 4-0 Chile
Goals: Luis Suarez 41’, 45’, 68’ and 74’.

The 2011 Copa America winners, playing their last Brazil 2014 qualifier of the year, signed off in fine style with another goal-laden display on home soil. Winners over Bolivia 4-2 in their opening match, followed by a 1-1 draw in Paraguay, this time out Uruguay made easy pickings of Claudio Borghi’s Chile.

A La Roja squad rocked by disciplinary problems simply had no answer to the attacking prowess of Liverpool hitman Suarez, whose four-goal salvo ensured Los Charrúas took all three points and now stand alone at the top of the table. On the back of a second heavy defeat from two games on their travels, can Borghi’s charges lift themselves in time to host Paraguay in Santiago on 15 November?  

Elsewhere                                                                                             
After Friday’s results, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Paraguay all find themselves in a four-team chasing pack level on four points – three behind leaders Uruguay after three matchdays. The Argentinians and Colombians will arguably be the most disappointed of the quartet, having passed up the opportunity to do better than 1-1 home draws against Bolivia and Venezuela respectively. The curse of 11/11/11 perhaps?

For their part, Los Cafeteros appeared to have the points in the bag in rain-soaked Barranquilla thanks to a tremendous early strike from FC Porto midfielder Fredy Guarin. However, a defensive lapse allowed La Vinotinto to level the game late in the second half via their Swiss-born midfielder Frank Feltscher, who scored just nine minutes after coming off the bench.

Argentina, meanwhile, were made to seriously sweat against Bolivia, who opened the scoring on 56 minutes when striker Marcelo Martins took full advantage of sloppy defending by Martin Demichelis. And though Alejandro Sabella’s men levelled just minutes later after substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi struck with virtually his first touch, La Albiceleste were booed off at the end after visitors La Verde held on for their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying point on Argentinian soil.    

Lastly, Francisco Arce will be delighted to have registered his first competitive victory as Paraguay coach, after two of La Albirroja’s South Africa 2010 veterans, Cristian Riveros and Dario Veron, scored in a 2-1 win over Ecuador. El Tri, who were unable to cope with their hosts’ set-piece threat, thus fell to their seventh defeat in seven FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Asuncion and their first reverse in Brazil 2014 qualifying.

Player of the day
Luis Suarez (URU)
In the absence of Diego Forlan, Suarez shouldered the full weight of Uruguay’s attacking burden in lethal fashion. La Celeste’s No9 drove his team on from the front, scored each of their four goals and even found time to fire a free-kick against the crossbar. A comprehensive night’s work for the Salto-born striker, who now has an impressive 26 goals in 52 appearances for his country’s senior side.

The stat
11 – The number of competitive games that Paraguay had gone without winning in open play. The run, which featured nine draws and two losses, stretched back to La Albirroja’s 2-0 group victory over Slovakia at South Africa 2010 and spanned that tournament, the 2011 Copa America and Brazil 2014 qualifying.

What they said
“I’m angry. We knew we couldn’t afford to drop any points at home and now we’ve no choice but to win [away to Colombia on 15 November]. We’d have liked to have played in front of a full stadium tonight, but we know it’s down to us to fire the public’s enthusiasm,” said a downcast Lionel Messi, following the 1-1 home draw with Bolivia.

Results (Friday 11 November)
Argentina 1-1 Bolivia
Uruguay 4-0 Chile
Paraguay 2-1 Ecuador
Colombia 1-1 Venezuela
Not in action: Peru

Uruguay hit front as Argentina crash - Fifa.com

Neighbours Chile and Peru served up a feast of attacking football in the latest Clásico del Pacífico, with the result in doubt till the end. The hosts looked to have sewn things up when Gary Medel’s superb right-footed drive put them 3-0 ahead at the start of the second half. The cultured Peruvians, who had already hit the post twice and would do so twice more, stormed back, however, with two goals in ten minutes and continued to press even after conceding a fourth. Chile’s star of the show was playmaker Jorge Valdivia, who forced the penalty that allowed Humberto Suazo to seal the points.

Elsewhere
Paraguay and Uruguay shared the spoils in Asuncion in an eagerly awaited repeat of the 2011 Copa America final. A scorer in that 3-0 win for the Uruguayans, Diego Forlan put the visitors ahead and seemingly en route to their first victory in the Paraguayan capital, a city where they had lost on all five of their previous FIFA World Cup qualifying visits. Richard Ortiz had other ideas, however, tapping in from close range to rescue a draw for La Albirroja, though it did not prevent La Celeste from taking an outright lead at the top of the table.

There was more late drama in La Paz, where Radamel Falcao's stoppage-time strike gave Colombia a 2-1 win over Bolivia, their first qualifying victory in the city in five attempts. Los Cafeteros, who took the lead through Dorlan Pavon after sitting out last Friday’s games, had not won their opening qualifier since the Italy 1990 campaign. Having momentarily pulled level through Walter Flores, the Bolivians are the only side in the nine-team section without a point to their name.

The day’s most notable victors were Venezuela, who chalked up a historic win of their own in overcoming Argentina 1-0 in Puerto La Cruz. Defeated in all 18 of their previous encounters with La Albiceleste, the Venezuelans, who finished an encouraging fourth at the recent Copa America, finally broke the spell when central defender Fernando Amorebieta headed home from a corner midway through the second half. That goal was also La Vinotinto’s first in four home games against the Argentinians.

Player of the day
Radamel Falcao Garcia (Colombia)
Starting his side’s game in Bolivia on the bench, the Atletico Madrid striker needed just 14 minutes to fire his side to victory. The goal was the 25-year-old frontman’s second in 11 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for his country.

The stat
32 - The number of times Diego Forlan has now hit the back of the net for Uruguay, making him the country’s all-time leading scorer. In giving his side the lead in Asuncion, the Inter Milan forward move one goal clear of two-time Olympic and world champion Hector Scarone. And with 84 appearances and counting, Forlan is also La Celeste’s most capped player.

What they said
“I know people didn’t think much of Cesar’s (Farias) decision, but he knows what he’s doing. Fortunately we justified the faith he showed in us out on the pitch. We’ve made history but we need to keep our feet on the ground because this has only just begun. There’s a long way to go for us to reach the World Cup,” Venezuela midfielder Cesar Gonzalez defends his coach’s decision to leave several first-team players out of last Friday’s game in Ecuador and rest them for the home tie with Argentina.

Results
Tuesday 11 October
Bolivia 1-2 Colombia
Chile 4-2 Peru
Paraguay 1-1 Uruguay
Venezuela 1-0 Argentina

No game: Ecuador