World Cup Qualifiers: Argentina suffer shock defeat; Brazil held

NEW DELHI: A stunning bicycle kick from Antonio Sanabria and a second-half header from Omar Alderete gave Paraguay a well earned 2-1 home win over Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

Argentina took the lead 11 minutes into the game when Enzo Fernandez's deep pass found Lautaro Martinez, whose thunderous shot was initially ruled out for offside, but was eventually awarded after a VAR review.

Paraguay went close moments later when Gustavo Gomez's header from a corner hit the crossbar. The home side quickly tried again with Gustavo Velazquez's cross finding Sanabria, who unleashed a superb overhead kick that left goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helpless.

The shocked visitors struggled to find their feet, with captain Lionel Messi largely absent from the action for much of the first half and only managing one shot that went wide.

However, he was twice fouled by Alderete, but referee Anderson Daroco didn't show him a second yellow card before the break.

Two minutes into the second half, Paraguay defender Alderete headed in from a free kick following a foul by substitute Leonardo Balerdi on Julio Enciso.

Rodrigo de Paul had the best chance to equalise 20 minutes before the end but he failed to control the ball after a breakaway and his shot went wide as Argentina's errors continued to mount with Paraguay holding firm in defence.

Paraguay are sixth on 16 points, behind on goal difference to Ecuador, who hammered Bolivia 4-0 on Thursday, and Uruguay, who host second-placed Colombia on Friday.

Brazil had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Venezuela after a quick-fire second-half strike by substitute Telasco Segovia canceled out Raphinha's opener for the dominant visitors.

Vinicius Jr missed a chance to win the game with a penalty against a Venezuelan side who played the last minutes of the game down to 10-man after substitute Alexander Gonzalez was sent off for hitting both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius in the face in successive plays in the 89th minute.

Five-time World Cup champions Brazil are third in the standings on 17 points, five from leaders Argentina, while Venezuela are seventh on 12 points. The top six sides are guaranteed a berth at the 2026 finals.

The high-paced match saw numerous chances from both sides who registered 11 goal attempts each, with Brazil enjoying over 60% of possession but failing to turn their dominance into goals and getting often exposed to counter attacks. Agencies

Also Read: German Pezzella to miss Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru due to injury

Also Watch: