It’s hot enough out in South America. But when the continent’s biggest football nations collide, the temperature goes off the scale and the atmosphere reaches fever pitch.
And this week we watched some huge results roll in as tempers flared and the stars delivered as two players were sent off in the clash between third-placed Ecuador and leaders Brazil.
While in the clash of the round, Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to make it 28 matches unbeaten over the past two years for the Albiceleste, but the loss put a big dent in La Roja’s qualification hopes.
The top four of the World Cup 2022 CONMEBOL group will qualify automatically with the fifth place team playing off against a team from the Asian confederation, and that may be the best Chile can hope for after goals from Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina all three points.
Brereton Diaz replied for La Roja but their hopes look increasingly slim, while Argentina and Brazil have already packed their bags for Qatar.
Ecuador are no World Cup pushover
Here at SBOTOP, we tipped a draw for the match between Ecuador and Brazil and so it turned out as a Felix Torres header 15 minutes from time earned a crucial point for La Tri after Casemiro had given Brazil an early lead.
Ecuador will feel they could have had all three points but they had a goal chalked off and two penalties overturned by VAR, including one in the dying seconds of the match.
Casemiro’s goal came after just five minutes when he smashed the ball home in a goalmouth scramble and it all seemed to be going pear-shaped for the hosts when their keeper Alexander Dominguez saw red for a poor challenge.
But the numbers evened up with only 20 minutes gone as Spurs right-back Emerson Royal picked up his second yellow in quick succession.
Ecuador’s World Cup 2022 results have given them a brilliant chance of qualifying for the World Cup for the fourth time and they are sitting in third place, which is seven points clear of seventh-placed Colombia who have a game in hand.
With matches against Peru, Paraguay, and a home fixture against Argentina to come, a win and a draw should be enough for La Tri to make their travel plans for Qatar.
VAR loves Liverpool players
Fans of Premier League clubs outside the self anointed ‘Big Six’ have quickly come to realise that the advancement of video technology is not the answer to all their problems, and they understandably had fears that the richest clubs, more often than not, get the big decisions have not been eased much.
Well, the trend followed Liverpool stopper Alisson who was sent off twice in the game with Ecuador only to have his red cards rescinded on both occasions by the video ref, which was hard to stomach for La Tri who had the rough end of it all night.
Brazil are in the pack of leading contenders according to the World Cup 2022 betting odds. And if VAR is as kind to them in the Middle East, then they have every chance.
Suarez still delivers for Uruguay
A 1-0 win away to Panama means Uruguay sit in fourth place in the CONMEBOL table and new head coach Diego Alonso can feel happy with his work, and that of talisman Luis Suarez.
The veteran Atletico Madrid striker took a pass from Diego Godin and fired in a stunner to win the game in the 65th-minute.
Paraguay keeper Antony Silva could only watch as Suarez showed he still has what it takes at the very top level. But the match ended on a sour note for Paraguay as centre-back Gustavo Gomez was sent off.
Five–way battle for the final qualifying place
Uruguay have plenty of work to do, though, since they sit in fourth place but only three points ahead of seventh-placed Chile, with Colombia and Peru in between. And Bolivia, who are one place and a point behind Chile but with a game in hand, will still have hopes of qualifying, or at least making the play-off place.
Paraguay, in ninth and with only three games left, probably have too much to do but a play-off spot is not entirely out of the question.
Next up, there is a huge game when Colombia host Peru when the winner will leapfrog Uruguay into fourth place, but a draw would leave both teams sitting outside the top four and Alonso’s team hanging on with three rounds to play. Meanwhile, Bolivia could make some progress when they travel to bottom nation Venezuela.
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