Argentina Held, Brazil Revived in World Cup Qualifying

Argentina's World Cup qualifying campaign hit a roadblock as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela, despite Lionel Messi's return. Messi's free-kick set up Nicolas Otamendi's early opener, but Salomon Rondon's header equalized for Venezuela. Argentina remain atop the standings, but the draw dents their hopes of a comfortable qualification.

Meanwhile, Brazil got their campaign back on track with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Chile. Eduardo Vargas gave Chile an early lead, but Savinho and Igor Jesus equalized for Brazil. Luiz Henrique's late strike secured the win, moving Brazil into fourth place.

Bolivia boosted their World Cup hopes with a gutsy 1-0 win over Colombia in the thin air of El Alto. Miguel Terceros' stunning individual goal lifted Bolivia into the automatic qualification positions. Bolivia's move to play qualifiers in El Alto has paid off, with two wins in two games at the high-altitude venue.

Ecuador and Paraguay played out a goalless draw in Quito, leaving Ecuador in fifth place. The top six finishers in South America's 10-team round-robin qualifying competition will earn a ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Tags: #WorldCupQualifying, #Argentina, #Venezuela, #Brazil, #Chile