The halfway point of the ongoing World Cup 2026 CONMEBOL qualifiers did not disappoint, despite the relative lack of high-scoring matches.
Brazil and Bolivia secured huge wins on their end against Chile and Colombia, respectively, while Argentina and Ecuador shared the spoils with Venezuela and Paraguay, respectively.
Meanwhile, there’s one more game on the ninth matchday, as Peru will host Uruguay tomorrow.
Last night’s set of World Cup 2026 results saw Brazil move up to fourth place and Bolivia go to sixth. Ecuador are in fifth, while Venezuela, Paraguay, and Chile are seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. Meanwhile, Argentina and Colombia stayed on top of the pile at first and second.
Just in case you missed, don’t worry, as SBOTOP has you covered with the latest action in the Sudamerican region.
Brazil complete stirring comeback against Chile
Brazil finally returned to the win column last night in Santiago, Chile, courtesy of a couple of Botafogo products (2-1).
The Samba Boyz came out flat, and they suffered the consequences in just two minutes, as Eduardo Vargas’ header floated over the head of goalkeeper Ederson to hand Chile a 1-0 advantage.
However, Igor Jesus scored the equaliser for Brazil, as he headed home a beautiful cross from Savinho just before the halftime break.
Brazil almost needed the entire half to manufacture a second goal, and it was worth it. They took the lead for good in the 89th through Luiz Henrique, whose low shot went into the bottom-left corner.
Overall, this was a subpar showing for Dorival Junior’s men because they weren’t clinical enough, despite having 72-per cent of the possession. This is where they miss someone like Vinicius Junior.
Besides Igor Jesus, Luiz Henrique, and Savinho, the only other bright spot for Brazil is their centre-half, as Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos put in great shifts since they were reliable and steady in the back.
A win is still a win, and Dorival Junior will gladly take it to alleviate some pressure off his shoulders. With momentum on their side, Brazil are poised to tack on more points when they square off against Peru next.
Bolivia eke out win despite numbers disadvantage
Colombia failed to stay unblemished in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, as they suffered a 1-0 loss against Bolivia yesterday.
This was Bolivia’s second consecutive home win since changing venues to El Alto last month after a 4-0 rout of Venezuela, and they remain undefeated since the appointment of head coach Oscar Villegas after the Copa America.
Bolivia didn’t actually have a great start to the match, as they were reduced to 10 men when the referees gave Hector Cuellar a straight red card for his challenge on Roger Martinez for some reason, when it should’ve been just a yellow.
However, credit to Bolivia for not giving up, and their perseverance paid off right before the half-hour mark, as Miguel Terceros notched his third goal in three games. The 20-year-old winger dribbled past Colombian defenders Kevin Castano and Jhon Lucumi and fired a left-footed shot that flew into the top corner.
Colombia tried to make a comeback with their late chances, but their balls were snuffed out by goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.
If Bolivia had it their way, they would rather play their nine remaining matches in El Alto, given their winning run. However, Bolivia’s next two matches will see them travel on the road against Argentina and Ecuador, and the World Cup 2026 odds don’t like La Verde’s chances in those matches.
Argentina, Ecuador were held to draws
Argentina and Ecuador failed to get three points out of their matches against Venezuela (1-1) and Paraguay (0-0) last night.
La Albiceleste raced to a one-goal lead when Lionel Messi teed up Nicolas Otamendi for the goal, while Geronimo Rulli filled in well for Dibu Martinez, who is serving a two-match suspension, as he kept out Salomon Rondon’s first-half attempts.
However, Rondon would break through for Venezuela in the second half with a header from Yeferson Soteldo’s cross.
After the match, Lionel Messi blamed the soggy pitch for the stalemate. It’s hard to blame the Inter Miami forward because the pitch was soaked after the heavy rain in Maturin before kickoff that even caused a delay.
Ecuador didn’t even get to score despite having more total shots (15 to three), shots on target (five to two), and possession (77-per cent) against Paraguay. Enner Valencia was the dangerman early on for La Tri, as he forced Gatito Fernandez to make saves. Pervis Estupinan, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Moises Caicedo also posed danger in the second half but to no avail.
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