Argentina thrashed Uruguay 3-0 at home in a South American World Cup 2022 qualifiers match on Sunday (October 10). On the other hand, Brazil drew 0-0 with Colombia away from home. Brazil dropped points for the first time in the current qualification matches. The Argentine superstar Lionel Messi was brilliant against Uruguay, setting a new international record in his illustrious career. Three more World Cup qualifiers were played on Sunday. Let’s take a look at the outcomes of CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifiers.
Results of the South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Matchday 10 and 11
Argentina vs. Uruguay
Argentina made a strong start and seized the lead in the 38th minute due to Lionel Messi’s brilliant chip strike from outside the D-Box. Rodrigo de Paul extended Argentina’s lead within six minutes. After that, Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan scored Argentina’s third goal in the 62nd minute, putting the game out of reach for the visitors. Argentina enjoyed possession of the ball, and goalkeeper Emi Martinez once again proved his true class by stopping two fantastic efforts from Luis Suarez.
Colombia vs. Brazil
Brazil dominated the ball possession and attempted to score numerous times, but failed to find the net during the 90 minutes. They had 4 shots on target in 9 attempts. This was Brazil’s first draw in the South American World Cup 2022 qualifiers. On the other hand, Colombia did a fantastic job of tightening up its defense.
Bolivia vs. Peru
It was a tight contest between the two teams, with the host Bolivia winning by a single goal. Bolivia enjoyed the most ball possession, but it took them till the 82nd minute to score. Bolivia climbed to 9th place with this victory, while Peru remained in seventh place with 11 points.
Venezuela vs. Ecuador
Venezuela defeated one of the table toppers, Ecuador at home. They won the match with a score of 2-1. Ecuador took the lead in the 37th minute, but Venezuela equalized in the first half’s injury time. The home team scored the match-winning goal in the 64th minute. Venezuela are still at the bottom of the points table.
Chile vs. Paraguay
Chile needed to win this game to keep in contention for a place in the top four. They did an excellent job and won the game 2-0. Chile have moved up to the eighth place with ten points after this victory. On the other hand, Paraguay are in the sixth position with 12 points.
Lionel Messi’s New International Record
Lionel Messi became the first South American player to score 80 international goals during the encounter against Uruguay.
Lionel Messi’s 80th goal came in the 38th minute of the match. He is now three goals clear of Brazilian legend Pele (77). Neymar comes in third with 69 goals, followed by Uruguayan Luis Suarez with 64 international goals.
Ronaldo Nazario ended his career with 62 goals and Romario netted 55 international goals for Brazil. Messi’s countrymen Gabriel Batistuta led Argentina with 53 goals, followed by Edinson Cavani of Manchester United with 53 goals for Uruguay.
Messi is currently the fifth most prolific international goal scorer of all time. He needs 5 more goals to overtake former Real Madrid star Ferenc Puskas, who scored 84 goals for Hungary.
Former Malaysia striker Mokhtar Dahari is third on the list with 89 international goals, followed by Ali Daei of Iran with 109. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is now in first place with 112 international goals.
Bottom Line
Argentina and Brazil are leading the South American World Cup 2022 qualifiers. Brazil are six points ahead of Argentina with 28 points, who are in the second position. On the other hand, Argentina are six points ahead of third-placed Ecuador. The rest of the eight nations are battling it out for third and fourth place. There will undoubtedly be many more exciting contests in the forthcoming CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier fixtures.
Source: United News of Bangladesh