Football
Reuters 22y

Uruguay facing possible playoff

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Paraguay, despite an
encounter with the "Hand of God," and Brazil moved closer to the World Cup next year on Sunday while Uruguay appeared to be
headed for a playoff with Australia.

Paraguay's 2-2 draw with Argentina, for whom Mauricio
Pochettino appeared to emulate Diego Maradona's infamous goal
against England at the 1986 World Cup, kept them firmly on
course for their second successive World Cup.

Brazil, the only team to have played at every World Cup,
struggled to a 2-0 victory over an experimental Chilean team and
was greatly helped by the result in Montevideo, where Uruguay
and Colombia dented each other's chances with a 1-1 draw.

The results Sunday also boosted Ecuador's chances of reaching its first World Cup following the 5-1 Saturday mauling of Bolivia in La Paz.

Ecuador need only to draw at home against Uruguay next month to
book its place.

With two matches each to play, Argentina continue as runaway
leaders of the South American group with 39 points, followed by
Paraguay (30), Ecuador (29), Brazil (27), Uruguay (25) and
Colombia (21).

Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia are out of the running.

The top four qualify and the fifth plays off against Oceania
winners Australia. Argentina has already qualified and made
sure of first place with its draw Sunday.

South America's top two teams produced an electrifying
encounter in Asuncion which provided a bit of everything --
excellent football, gamesmanship, wild tackling and controversy.

Paraguay's eccentric goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, playing
against his favorite rivals, fired the home team in front from
a 51st minute penalty, his fourth of the competition to make him
his team's second top scorer.

It was his second World Cup qualifying goal against
Argentina, the first coming from a free kick in a game in 1996.

The penalty was controversially awarded but Argentina had
ample revenge in the 67th minute when Pochettino deflected Juan
Veron's corner into the goal.

Paraguay argued he punched the ball in and television
replays appeared to support their claims.

Gustavo Morinigo headed Paraguay back in front three minutes
later, but there was more drama in the 74th minute when Gabriel
Batistuta, who had waited a year for his international recall,
celebrated by sliding in the equalizer from a rebound.

Batitusta, repeatedly overlooked by coach Marcelo Bielsa
despite his reputation as one of the world's top strikers,
nearly won the game three minutes later, but his header was
turned away by the irrepressible Chilavert.

Paraguay now need two points from two games to qualify.

Brazil's game against bottom team Chile, for whom Jorge
Garces was making his debut as its third coach in six months,
looked a formality but turned into a dour struggle.

The four-time world champions, looking disjointed and
lacking ideas, made little headway against a packed defense in
the first half, but came to life after winger Denilson was
brought on as a halftime substitute.

Edilson broke the deadlock eight minutes into the second
half and former World Player of the Year Rivaldo made the game
safe in the 67th minute.

The Barcelona player, often accused of saving his best for
his Spanish club, was delighted to go off with applause ringing
in his ears.

"It's the first time I've left the field to applause playing
for the national team," he said. "I feel very happy. I'm very
proud to serve the national team."

Uruguay appeared to have ended Colombia's last chances of
qualifying for a fourth successive World Cup when it took a
34th-minute lead in Montevideo from a Federico Magallanes
penalty in the Centenario stadium, where it won the first
World Cup 71 years ago.

But a long-range 67th minute effort by Arnaulfo Valentierra
kept Colombia in with a mathematical chance of finishing fourth
or fifth.

Uruguay, which was once a major power in the game but has not played at a World Cup since 1990, still looks likely to face
Australia over two legs.

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