Argentina 1-1 Paraguay
Carlos Tevez's sending off in the first half really affected the Argentine team throughout the match, as they were never really able to play to their maximum level. Paraguay is a very strong team and the group leaders made life difficult for Argentina. In the second half Argentina improved a great deal, particularly because of the influence of Sergio Aguero on the game, who scored a terrific goal that was set up by the ever lively Lionel Messi. Towards the end of the match Argentina created several clear-cut opportunities to win the match, but luck just wasn't on their side.
Ecuador 3-1 Bolivia
Ecuador continued their good run in the qualifiers with a good win over Bolivia. Like Argentina in the match versus Paraguay, the Bolivians had a player sent off early in the match because of a silly foul. This greatly affected the Bolivians, who had started the match quite strongly, and although they went into the break level, Ecuador made the most of their numerical advantage in the second half and were well worth their victory. Next up for the Ecuadorians is a difficult clash with Uruguay in Montevideo.
Colombia 0-1 Uruguay
It was a historic victory for the Uruguayans, who had never won a World Cup qualifier in Colombia before. Uruguayan football has improved significantly in recent years, and they are definitely on track to returning to being the world power they once were. Uruguay played an almost perfect match, and dominated Colombia for large periods of the match. Sebastian Eguren, who scored their match-winner, was brilliant. The Villarreal man has finally broken himself into the squad, and was well worth his selection. For the Colombians, well they came more into the match mid-way through the second half, but although they constantly pressured the Uruguay goal, they lacked conviction in the attack.
Peru 1-0 Venezuela
The victory allowed Peru to climb from the bottom of the group table. It was a vital win for the Peruvians, who played a very good first half, but seemed to tire in the second half. Peru demonstrated that they will still put up a good fight, even if it is highly unlikely that they qualify for the World Cup. Venezuela, on the other hand, have been very inconsistent in their current qualifying campaign, and would be very disappointed with the defeat. Venezuela came more into the match towards the end, and had its chances to pick up what would have been a valuable draw.
On Sunday Chilewill entertain Brazil in what is likely to be an action-packed match.
