Argentina couldn’t beat Brazil, but they celebrated anyway.
La Albiceleste became the second South American team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday despite a goalless draw with their classic rival. Ecuador’s 2-0 win over Chile ensures that no team can displace it from the positions that grant a direct pass to Qatar with four rounds left to finish the qualifying rounds.
Argentina, with 29 points, thus closes a perfect year in which it was also crowned the Copa América champion right before Brazil, ending a 28-year drought without titles.
“Are we already classified?” Asked Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni during the press conference when he was notified of the Ecuadorians’ triumph. When a collaborator confirmed that this was the case, the smiling strategist stated that “it is to be really proud of this team, having achieved qualification four dates in advance in a very tough tie.”
“The year is magnificent, dreamed of, with obtaining the Cup, qualifying for the World Cup and we remain undefeated,” he listed.
In the Argentine dressing room, the soccer players shouted “you have to jump, you have to jump, whoever does not jump will not go to Qatar.”
Without the inspiration of its captain Lionel Messi, who returned to the title after leaving behind ailments that took him away from the fields in recent weeks, and with several starters below his level, Argentina drew 0-0 against Canarinha, who arrived classified to the Bicentennial stadium in the province of San Juan in front of 25,000 spectators.
Colombia 0, Paraguay 0
BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (AP) – Colombia finished with half a dozen forwards.
It didn’t matter. Again he left without a goal.
Coach Reinaldo Rueda appealed to all his attacking chips on Tuesday, but Colombia again suffered from offensive ineffectiveness as it resigned itself to a 0-0 draw at home with Paraguay in the World Cup qualifiers.
It was the fifth game in a row for Colombia without shaking the networks.
“We couldn’t score a goal and that’s why the game became so difficult,” recognized Rueda. ? “We are all hurt with this result because of what was done on the court, perhaps without sufficient clarity for that completion. We missed that last pass and have the fortune to hole up ”.
Despite the scoring drought, Colombians continue to navigate in the qualifying positions for the Qatar 2022 event.
The first four from South America go directly to Qatar and the fifth will have to play an intercontinental playoff. The leaders Brazil (35 points) and the second Argentina (29) have already secured their tickets, while Ecuador (23) consolidated in third place.
After 14 of the 18 dates, the fight is red in the middle of the table. The order from fourth to ninth place was as follows: Colombia and Peru (both with 17 points); Chile and Uruguay (with 16 each); Bolivia (13); and Paraguay (13).
Ecuador 2, Chile 0
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) – Ecuador scored in the first minutes and in the discount, in addition to taking advantage of the early expulsion of Arturo Vidal to achieve an unprecedented 2-0 victory on Tuesday in his visit to Chile, thus extending its advantage in the direct qualifying zone to World.
Furthermore, the result allowed Argentina to guarantee its ticket to Qatar. On the same day, the Albiceleste had drawn goalless against Brazil.
Pervis Estupiñán scored in the eighth minute, crowning a play that Ángel Mena made with a marvelous advance down the right side and a long cross. Gary Medel tried to move away with his head, but the ball came to the steering wheel of Villarreal, who had time to control in the vertex of the area and defined with a crossed cannon that beat goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Bolivia 3, Uruguay 0
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) – Has the end of the Óscar Tabárez era in Uruguay come?
Bolivia grew at the height of La Paz by beating a Uruguay 3-0 on Tuesday that continues to wither and moved further from the qualifying positions to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Despite suffering the fourth consecutive defeat in these South American qualifiers, Tabárez assured that he does not contemplate giving up the command of a team that he has directed for 15 years.
“I do not know who can demand that (resignation) from me, after the time of work that was had.”
He has four games left to set the course.
In an unforgettable afternoon, Juan Carlos Arce signed a double at 30 and 79 for the Green that linked his third success in a row at home. Marcelo Martins was the author of the second Bolivian goal with a definition of head at the edge of the break.
Martins established himself as the top scorer in the South American qualifiers by reaching nine wins, although the forward missed a penalty in the second half.
Bolivia played the last quarter of an hour outnumbered by the expulsion of Carmelo Algarañaz with a direct red.
La Celeste accumulates 16 points and marches in seventh place, out of the direct classification positions and the repechage ticket.
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