BRASILIA, 6 September 2005 — Brazil striker Adriano scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Chile on Sunday to guarantee the world champions a place at next year’s finals in Germany while Marcelo Zalayeta emulated him to give Uruguay a dramatic 3-2 win over Colombia.
Brazil’s win means they keep up their record as the only country to have played at every World Cup finals while Uruguay’s victory lifted them into the fifth-place play-off position in the 10-nation South American group.
Uruguay’s win also helped Ecuador and Paraguay, third and fourth respectively.
Ecuador need only a draw at home to Uruguay next month to qualify while a win in Venezuela will be enough for Paraguay to book their place with one game to spare.
After 16 rounds of the marathon contest, Argentina, who qualified last June and lost 1-0 to Paraguay on Saturday, lead with 31 points followed by Brazil on 30.
Ecuador have 26 after their 2-1 win in Bolivia on Saturday and Paraguay are one point behind after their first win over Argentina in a World Cup qualifier.
The top four teams qualify directly for Germany while the fifth spot, occupied by Uruguay on 21 points, earns a play-off over two legs against the Oceania region winners, almost certainly Australia.
Colombia and Chile, on 20 points, could still finish fifth and Venezuela, who have 18 points, also have an outside chance, although their final match is away to Brazil.
Colombia host Chile in October and then visit Paraguay three days later. The Chileans, meanwhile, finish their program at home to Ecuador.
Brazil, who became the first defending champions forced to qualify for the subsequent tournament under a new FIFA ruling, raced to a four-goal lead in less than half an hour against bemused opponents.
Central defender Juan made the breakthrough after 11 minutes with a close-range header from a corner and Robinho added the second 11 minutes later as he finished off a sweeping move which went from one end of the field to the other.
Adriano then added two more goals in a three-minute spell, the first a low shot into the far corner from Robinho’s pass in the 27th minute and the second a header from a corner.
The Inter Milan player completed his hat-trick in injury time.
“The important thing was that we qualified,” said Adriano, who is still fighting for a regular place in the team.
“I hope to continue like this and slowly but surely I’ll get there.” His striking partner Ronaldo, who went off at halftime complaining of muscular discomfort, completed his sixth international without scoring.
In stark contrast to the festive atmosphere in Brasilia, Colombia faced a rowdy, hostile 60,000 crowd at Centenario stadium in Montevideo, venue for the first World Cup final in 1930.
Zalayeta headed Uruguay in front from Alvaro Recoba’s cross two minutes before halftime and put the Sky Blues in a commanding position when he fired the second past Miguel Calero six minutes into the second half.
But with 12 minutes to go and Uruguay apparently coasting, Colombia fought back.
Elkin Soto reduced the arrears with a fulminating 25-meter shot from Angel’s neat layoff in the 79th minute. Two minutes later, Soto returned the compliment by bursting to the byline and providing the cross for the Aston Villa striker to head the equalizer.
With the stadium silent and Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati disconsolate on the touchline, Uruguay found a winner with four minutes to go.
Fabian Estoyanoff’s cross from the right eluded the Colombia defense and found Zalayeta lurking at the far post, leaving him with the easy job of tapping into the empty net.
Cameroon Near Finals After Stunning Ivory Coast
In Johannesburg, Angola, Ghana and Togo kept on course for first-ever World Cup finals appearance but wins for the trio were overshadowed on Sunday by a storming performance from Cameroon.
Spanish-based striker Achille Webo scored a superb hat trick as Cameroon wrestled control of Group Three away from frontrunners Ivory Coast to put themselves one win away from next year’s finals in Germany.
Webo traded goals with Ivorian striker Didier Drogba in a pulsating game in Abidjan, which Cameroon had to win to restore their chances of going to the finals for an African record sixth time.
The Osasuna forward had the final word with a diving header inn the 87th minute as Cameroon snatched a 3-2 win in front of a shellshocked crowd at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium.
Ghana’s 2-0 win over Uganda in Kuamsi on Sunday ensured they will qualify with a draw in their last game although it is only a remote mathematical chance that denies them the right to already claim a berth in Germany.
Angola and Togo will make sure of their World Cup final debuts if they win their last games on the weekend of October 8-9.
Both were 3-0 winners at home in their respective matches on a day which failed to deliver any definite qualifier for the 2006 finals.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Zimbabwe kept up their slim hopes with wins in the penultimate round of matches on Sunday.
A win for Ivory Coast over Cameroon would have ensured they became the first African team to qualify for the 2006 finals.
But the experienced Indomitable Lions had other ideas as they forced the issue in front of a hostile crowd, going ahead on the half hour mark as Webo swivelled onto a long cross into the area and lobbed the ball over the opposing goalkeeper.
Drogba equalized eight minutes later with a trademark goal from close range after Aruna Dindane had rounded defender Pierre Wome on the left wing but Webo restored Cameroon’s lead on the stroke of halftime as he headed home from close range.
The Ivorians came straight back after the interval and equalized through Drogba’s superb long range free kick but their dreams lay in tatters just three minutes from time as Webo completed his hat-trick.
Ivory Coast will now only qualify if the beat Sudan away on October 7 and Cameroon slip up in their final qualifier, which is at home to Egypt on Oct. 9.
Ghana can only be denied a World Cup place if they lose heavily in the Cape Verde Islands and the Democratic Republic of Congo win handsomely in South Africa.
Early goals from new Chelsea recruit Michael Essien and Matthew Amoah ensured a comfortable 2-0 Group Two win for the Black Stars over Uganda while the Congolese edged the Cape Verde Islands 2-1 at home in Kinshasa.
Angola overcame early nerves to beat Gabon 3-0 in Luanda with an own goal from Rene Nsi Akoue setting them on their way.
Mantorras and Ze Kalanga also scored in the Group Four encounter.
They remain level on 18 points with Nigeria, who netted three goals in the last eight minutes to win 5-2 away in Algeria.
Nigeria host Zimbabwe in their final group match on October 8 but will miss out on the World Cup finals if Angola win away in Rwanda on the same day. Angola have the advantage over Nigeria in their head-to-head results in the group.
If both countries slip up, Zimbabwe could yet qualify after remaining three points off the pace courtesy of a 3-1 home win over Rwanda.
Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor scored a ninth goal in the qualifiers to break the deadlock after halftime and set his side on the way to a 3-0 win over Liberia in Lome.
The result ensured that Togo regained the lead in Group One over Senegal and must now win against Congo in Brazzaville on Oct. 9 to qualify.
