Time is running out for the struggling nations in the World Cup 2022 CONMEBOL qualifiers. With only four guaranteed spots and a wildcard berth for the fifth seed, the upcoming games in the next international break will shape up the playing field from the South Americas.
Brazil and Argentina extended their lead by prolonging their undefeated streaks, while Uruguay and Colombia sneaked into the qualifying picture with wins of their own.
Peru and Paraguay are hopeful that it’s not too late for them, while the World Cup 2022 odds of making it are looking bleak for bottom feeders Chile, Bolivia, and Venezuela.
With club football being back, for now, allow SBOTOP to review the latest updates about the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
Brazil and Argentina continue to lead the pack
There’s no doubt that the Samba Boys and La Albiceleste are the two best teams in South America right now. With their victories against Peru and Bolivia yesterday respectively, Brazil and Argentina have boosted their chances of securing their World Cup 2022 spots.
Brazil cruised past Peru despite the absence of several key players due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions of both Brazil and UK.
Everton Ribeiro got his second goal in the last two games while Neymar punched in one during the 40th minute en route to a 2-0 win.
It was the ninth straight home qualifier where the Samba Boys secured a clean sheet and they’ve remained flawless in all of their World Cup 2022 qualifying matches so far.
On the other hand, Argentina bared witness to a coming out party from their talisman Lionel Messi during their comprehensive 3-0 win over Bolivia.
With his hat-trick, Lionel Messi (79) just surpassed Pele’s record (77) for career goals in international play. He is now third all-time in South America, only trailing behind Brazilian icons Marta (109) and Cristiane (96).
All of these happened days after their Copa America final rematch was suspended, as the Brazilian health authorities entered the pitch and accused four Argentine players to have reportedly breached their COVID-19 protocols.
Things would’ve been slightly different if the said game was completed, although we remain confident that these two powerhouses will both stay on top of their table.
Uruguay, Ecuador, and Colombia can’t afford to let their guard down
The battle from third to fifth is where things get dicey as Uruguay, Ecuador, and Colombia are all looking to join Brazil and Argentina.
After sitting at around fifth to seventh before, Uruguay moved up to the third spot with back-to-back wins during this international break.
They pummeled Bolivia with a 4-2 tally then they eked out a 1-0 victory against a pesky Ecuador side.
With the strike combo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani absent, Oscar Tabarez got the most out of their younger forwards in Brian Rodriguez, Agustin Alvarez, and Giorgian de Arrascaeta – who recorded a brace versus Bolivia.
Ecuador, on the other hand, slipped to fourth after being inconsistent in their last few matches with a win over Paraguay, a draw versus Chile, and a loss against Uruguay.
La Tri were reduced to 10 men against Chile and they almost secured a point versus Paraguay if it weren’t for Gaston Pereiro’s injury time goal.
As of now, the inter-confederation play-off spot belongs to Colombia since they have a lower goal difference despite being level with Ecuador at 13 points.
Los Cafeteros had draws against Bolivia and Paraguay and they’ve secured a huge win over Chile last Thursday evening.
Peru and Paraguay are in danger of crashing out
Los Incas and La Albirroja might miss out the festivities in Qatar if they won’t be able to get positive World Cup 2022 results in their next round of fixtures. Paraguay are within arm’s reach to Colombia with 11 points while Peru are right behind them with eight.
After losing to Ecuador in early September, Paraguay picked themselves up by gathering much-needed points from Colombia (draw) and Venezuela (win).
They’re still missing their top playmaker in Miguel Almiron, who was not allowed by Newcastle United to participate, but they’re getting by through the Romeros and Antonio Sanabria.
Peru were supposed to be higher on this list since they were building momentum coming from their 2021 Copa America fourth-place finish last July.
Ricardo Gareca’s men got a point against Uruguay and they’ve exploited Venezuela’s numbers disadvantage for a 1-0 victory.
However, they did lose again to Brazil last Thursday, which illustrates the fact that they have more ways to go to keep up with the world’s best in football.
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