In a gripping 2026 World Cup qualifier, Venezuela managed to secure a 1-1 draw against football giants Brazil, while Argentina emerged as the new leader in the CONMEBOL standings, maintaining their flawless record with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay.
The match in Cuiaba witnessed a goalless first half, but it didn’t take long for the excitement to ignite. In the 50th minute, Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes made a remarkable impact, scoring his first international goal with a powerful header, courtesy of Neymar’s perfectly placed corner kick.
Brazil had several opportunities to extend their lead, including Vinicius Jr., who had a goal disallowed for offside in the 71st minute. However, they would rue their missed chances as Venezuela’s Eduard Bello rose to the occasion. In the 85th minute, Bello executed an astonishing overhead kick, making the most of Jefferson Savarino’s precise cross to level the score.
This hard-fought draw sees Brazil, who will soon face Uruguay in Montevideo, slipping to second place in the standings. Their fall from the top was driven by Argentina’s impressive victory in Buenos Aires. In front of the home crowd, the World Cup champions managed to maintain their perfect record. The early magic came from Nicolas Otamendi, the 35-year-old central defender who had previously netted just four goals in over 100 appearances for Argentina. Otamendi displayed exceptional skill, opening the scoring in a spectacular manner, volleying the ball into the net from a corner just three minutes into the match.
Lionel Messi, who had been sidelined due to a muscle issue in recent weeks but was included in the squad, entered the game in the 53rd minute. He nearly added to Argentina’s lead, rattling the woodwork with a powerful free-kick in added time. Argentina’s next challenge will be against Peru in Lima on October 17.
In earlier action, Uruguay staged a late comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against Colombia in Barranquilla. The hosts had initially taken the lead in the 35th minute when James Rodriguez converted a cross from Rafael Santos Borre. Uruguay responded swiftly, equalizing just after halftime through Mathias Olivera. Colombia reclaimed their lead five minutes later with Mateus Uribe’s strike from another Borre cross.
A dramatic turn of events occurred when Colombia’s goalkeeper, Camilo Vargas, was shown a red card in the 87th minute for a foul on Maximiliano Araujo, conceding a penalty. Alvaro Montero replaced Vargas in goal but couldn’t stop Darwin Nunez’s spot kick.
As a result, Colombia and Uruguay currently occupy the third and fourth positions in the standings, while Chile, following their 2-0 victory over Peru, holds the fifth spot.
