Last time we saw DR Congo execute a last-minute smash & grab to steal top spot from Mozambique and become the first non-Europeans to qualify for the finals of this year’s Draft World Cup. Now we’re back in South America where all ten sides are in one massive bloodthirsty group. This is how the table currently looks:
As we can see, Colombia are very well-placed, whilst Brazil, Peru and Uruguay are doing just enough at the moment. The side with the most worries is Argentina, who have slipped behind Venezuela and Ecuador. With the bottom five being eliminated, Argentina and Chile both need to pull their socks up. Bolivia and Paraguay need a miracle. Today we follow the next six matches – which takes us to 15 out of 18 rounds played – so today’s update is one that no team can afford to mess up.
The second half of the group started with a tasty fixture as Brazil visited Colombia. A win would see Colombia at least 4 points clear in 1st, but instead a brace from Diego led Brazil to a 2-1 win and top spot. Argentina had the chance to claw points back on a side above them as they visited Peru, and despite an early red card they claimed a vital 1-0 win. Chile overcame Ecuador 2-1 thanks to a late Lorenzo Reyes goal to further squeeze the middle of the table. Uruguay and Venezuela beat the bottom two sides to keep with the pace, beating Paraguay 2-1 and Bolivia 2-0 respectively.
The second half of the group started with a tasty fixture as Brazil visited Colombia. A win would see Colombia at least 4 points clear in 1st, but instead a brace from Diego led Brazil to a 2-1 win and top spot. Argentina had the chance to claw points back on a side above them as they visited Peru, and despite an early red card they claimed a vital 1-0 win. Chile overcame Ecuador 2-1 thanks to a late Lorenzo Reyes goal to further squeeze the middle of the table. Uruguay and Venezuela beat the bottom two sides to keep with the pace, beating Paraguay 2-1 and Bolivia 2-0 respectively.
Argentina hosted Chile next, both hoping to continue their push up the table. It was Chile who struck first, Fernando Meneses prodding in. It appeared that it was going to be the only goal, but in the final minute Lisandro Lopez was played through, and he held his nerve to level, 1-1 the final score. Colombia were frustrated by Ecuador, drawing 0-0 away, which meant that Brazil’s 2-0 win over Venezuela further extended their lead at the top of the table. Paraguay picked up only their second win - but it was in style, as they shocked Peru with a 3-0 victory, with first goals of the campaign for veterans Oscar Cardozo and Roque Santa Cruz. With so many sides dropping points around them, it meant that Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Bolivia saw them climb into second position.
It’s incredible how things can fall apart in such a tight group. Peru led this group early on, but a fourth consecutive defeat sees their hopes teeter on the brink. They lost 1-0 at home to Bolivia, with both teams down to 10 men. Another side whose form has turned sour is Colombia, who lost 2-0 to Venezuela thanks to two penalties, meaning they’d only taken 1 point from the last four games. The good news for Peru and Colombia is that many of the teams around them couldn’t take advantage, as Argentina drew 0-0 away to Ecuador, whilst Uruguay lost 3-2 to Brazil courtesy of Everton Ribeiro’s late goal. This meant that Chile were big winners from the round, thanks to their 4-1 victory over Paraguay, all of their goals coming in the opening 33 minutes.
Bolivia and Chile played out an odd game. In the 66th minute Chile lost Aued to a red card, but soon after took the lead through Esteban Paredes. Then Bolivia did the same thing – they lost Melean to a red, and then scored through Pablo Escobar. 1-1 the score in goals and red cards. It was also 1-1 in Asuncion as Ecuador were frustrated by Santa Cruz’s late equaliser for Paraguay. There was still no joy for the group’s two out-of-form sides, as Colombia couldn’t hold on to their early lead, losing 2-1 to Argentina, whilst Peru were thoroughly outclassed in losing 3-1 to Brazil. Colombia’s defeat meant that Venezuela moved into second spot by beating Uruguay 2-1 at home – remember that going into this campaign Venezuela were bottom seeds, having failed to have any representation in the 2017 DWC campaign.
Venezuela didn’t let up there, as they recorded a fifth win from six by beating poor Peru 2-0 away from home. It looks like there’ll be no Peruvian fairytale this year, but their fellow 2017 giant-killers Uruguay continue to push for qualification with a 1-0 win away to Colombia. Argentina’s resurgence continued with a straightforward 3-0 win over Paraguay, whilst Bolivia ended Ecuador’s run of draws with a 1-0 win. The result of the round, though, was in Santiago as Chile ended Brazil’s run of four straight wins with a 2-1 victory.
Colombia had managed to go from top to outside the qualification spaces in the matter of a few games, but they finally came roaring back with a 4-0 walloping of Paraguay. To a lesser extent, Peru stopped their rot by drawing 1-1 away to Uruguay, although at this stage that’s probably not enough. Argentina looked like they were throwing points away as they were being held by Bolivia, but Lautaro Acosta won the match in the 93rd minute with a placed finish. There was another late show as Venezuela welcomed Chile. The hosts led going into the final stages of the match, but Jorge Valdivia powered in an equaliser, before Carlos Munoz stole the points for Chile with a calm finish. But once again, the big story of the round was a Brazilian defeat, as Hernan Barcos led Ecuador to a shock 2-1 victory, their first win in six.
So, that’s the last round of fixtures for this update. With just three games to go, this is how the table looks:
Next time
Bolivia and Paraguay are unsurprisingly eliminated now, and Peru are in serious danger of joining them. With just 3 points separating 2nd and 6th it looks like this group could go down to the wire, just as it did in real life. Next time we go back to Europe to see another side qualify for the DWC. Switzerland, Norway and Hungary are the top seeds in what might well be quite an open group.
Bolivia and Paraguay are unsurprisingly eliminated now, and Peru are in serious danger of joining them. With just 3 points separating 2nd and 6th it looks like this group could go down to the wire, just as it did in real life. Next time we go back to Europe to see another side qualify for the DWC. Switzerland, Norway and Hungary are the top seeds in what might well be quite an open group.