October 11th to 17th, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [CONMEBOL])

A Chapter by Steve Clark

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2021.

October 11th to 17th, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [CONMEBOL])

World Cup Qualifiers

October came and went quickly for South American nations. Bolivia needed a desperate win against Brazil to keep within a chance, while Brazil sought a solid win to solidify their own chances. The first half saw the hosts hold firm in defence, with no shots at all. However, the second half brought about three goals: Lucas Paquetá opening the goal with their third shot then Marcelo Moreno Martins scored again with a chip shot to level the score, before Éverton Ribeiro restored the lead and Brazil’s high hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup.

Argentina looked set to qualify for the World Cup with two goals in the first half against Venezuela. Giovani Lo Celso and Lionel Messi both scored for the hosts, with the former being in the right place for a cutback pass, while the latter volleyed with his left foot. The match seemed assured before Tomás Rincón and substitute specialist Cristian Cásseres brought the game level. Argentina could not turn their possession into a win, and the Venezuelan counterattacking tactics worked a treat to end the match 2-2.

	CONMEBOL WCQ Gr A	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Argentina	6	4	2	0	14	+4
2	Brazil	5	3	1	1	10	+3
3	Ecuador	5	2	0	3	6	+2
4	Venezuela	6	0	4	2	4	-2
5	Bolivia	6	0	3	3	3	-7

In Group B, Peru made six changes to their July squad in the hope of gaining a point, even though they had no chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Standing in their way was Uruguay, who made two changes. Peru, though, started the strongest, with Gianluca Lapadula scoring in the seventh minute. Stunned, the Uruguayans could never quite get in the match. Lapadula then made light of the Uruguayan defence right before halftime, causing a shift in the host’s tactics. That did not alter the momentum, and Christian Cueva and Jefferson Farfán both scored to romp a 4-0 away victory for Peru, their first points for the Qualifiers.

Paraguay made several changes to suit the 5-4-1 formation to tackle Colombia. Colombia brought back stalwart Radamel Falcao, which was a stroke of genius as him and right midfielder Juan Cuadrado scored five between them. Falcao’s first was a through ball where he shot from just inside the box. Cuadrado’s first was during a corner, where he ended up with the ball on the edge of the box and shot with his right boot. Straight after the break, the midfielder ran inside his marking man and scored his second. Falcao then grabbed two more; one with his left and the last with his right after stealing the ball from the Paraguayan defence.