Argentina stumbled 2-1 on Thursday against a hard-fought Paraguay but still leads the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, in which Brazil failed to consolidate its recovery and drew 1-1 against Venezuela.

At the end of Thursday's program, Ecuador took no mercy on Bolivia and thrashed them 4-0 to move into fifth place in the regional pre-World Cup, in the direct qualification zone.

The eleventh matchday will be completed on Friday with the attractive duel between Uruguay and Colombia in Montevideo and the match between bottom-placed Peru and Chile in Lima.

Paraguay dreams

Paraguay has proliferated since Gustavo Alfaro took the reins after the Copa America 2024: 0-0 draws against Ecuador and Uruguay, both away, and wins against Brazil (1-0) and Venezuela (2-1) at home, in addition to Thursday's victory against the world champion.

The Albiceleste, on the other hand, did not take advantage of the boost they got from the 6-0 thrashing of Bolivia in October, with a hat-trick by Messi, who was well-controlled by the home team on Thursday at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion.

Messi was almost always trapped in a web of up to three Paraguayans who prevented him from moving comfortably.

"They defended well. They have experienced players," said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. "We tried our way and it wasn't possible," he added.

The Paraguayan national team turned the result around with authority after attacker Lautaro Martínez scored for the visitors in the eleventh minute.

Antonio Sanabria equalized with an exquisite Chilean goal in the 19th minute, and two minutes into the second half, Omar Alderete sealed the comeback, allowing Paraguay to finish fifth with 16 points.

If nothing strange happens, Argentina will travel to the north of the continent in 2026 to defend the world title, although on Thursday it took a step backwards, overcome by a solid Paraguayan team that has only conceded 5 goals in 11 matches.

Despite the defeat, Argentina continues to lead with 22 points, followed by Colombia (19) and Brazil (17) in third place, while Venezuela is in seventh place in the playoffs with 12 points, together with Bolivia, eighth due to a worse goal difference.
 

Brazil fails to impress

Brazil has yet to show signs of full recovery: it only managed a 1-1 draw against a competitive Venezuela in the day's first match.

Raphinha's free kick in the 43rd minute sparked the Seleçao's hopes, but Venezuela came back from the break refreshed, and substitute Telasco Segovia hit Ederson's net with a precise shot from the halfway line in the 46th minute.

After the hour mark, a discreet Vinicius missed a penalty that was saved by goalkeeper Rafael Romo, the star of the match, and plunged the Seleçao into discouragement until the end of the game.

Brazil was looking to consolidate its position against the Vinotinto after a successful previous double-header in which it beat Chile (2-1) and Peru (4-0), the two bottom teams in the regional qualifiers, but once again showed its anodyne version.

The very even match proved Brazil coach Dorival Júnior right, as he warned before the game: "Don't think we'll have an easy game. Forget what Venezuela or Bolivia were like in the recent past. Today, the world order has changed a lot.
 

Ecuador discusses on equal terms

With the victory over Bolivia, Ecuador has definitively placed itself at the table of South America's greats.

Under the direction of Argentine coach Sebastián Beccacece, former assistant to Jorge Sampaoli, the Tricolor is in contention for one of the six direct berths to the World Cup in North America and is in fifth place with 16 points.

Superior from start to finish, La Tri won with a goal from its all-time leading scorer Enner Valencia (26th minute), a brace from winger Gonzalo Plata (28th and 49th) and a goal from Alan Minda (60th).

With the drubbing they suffered on Thursday and the 6-0 drubbing by Argentina on the previous matchday, Bolivia conceded ten goals in two games.

These two heavy defeats, however, do not discourage the highlanders, who are confident of changing their luck on the twelfth matchday, on Tuesday, when they host Paraguay at their practically impregnable home in El Alto, at 4,150 meters above sea level.

The main attraction

But the main event of the eleventh matchday will be played today, with a tough duel between second-placed Colombia and fourth-placed Uruguay at the Centenario in Montevideo.

Colombia gave a blow on the table by beating bottom-placed Chile 4-0 and is looking forward to a victory in Montevideo that will allow them to catch Argentina.

On the other hand, Uruguay is in a slump due to a lack of play and the unexpected criticism made weeks ago by the idol and former national team member Luis Suarez against coach Marcelo Bielsa, which generated a strong internal upheaval.

Also on Friday, a devalued Pacific Classic will be played in Lima between Peru and Chile, both in the basement of the standings with six and five points, respectively, and in danger of being prematurely left out of the World Cup.

© Agence France-Presse