LA PAZ, Bolivia, 28 March 2005 — Argentina rallied from a goal down to overcome Bolivia 2-1, and Colombia left Venezuela with a fifth draw in South American World Cup qualifying on Saturday.
In a late game, Chile tied Uruguay 1-1 in a match played in the Chilean capital, Santiago.
Argentina scored twice in seven minutes of the second half to erase Bolivia’s opening goal four minutes after halftime.
Bolivia stunned the competition leader when Jose Alfredo Castillo connected with Danner Pachi’s left cross in the 49th minute for the home side’s first goal in three qualifiers.
But Luciano Figueroa equalized, also on a header, in the 57th, and moments later Luciano Galetti netted the winning goal on a low shot to the right of goalkeeper Leo Fernandez. Argentina’s lead stretched to 25 points from 12 games, while Bolivia remained last with 10 points.
In Maracaibo, Colombia conceded a fifth draw in 12 games and improved only one spot in the standings to a provisional fifth, while Venezuela rose to sixth, trailing only on goal differential.
Both teams had numerous scoring opportunities, particularly in the final minutes when Colombia goalkeeper Miguel Calero held off a flurry of shots before 35,000 at Jose Encarnacion Romero Stadium.
Venezuela’s Rafael Castellin nearly scored in the 29th minute, while Colombian striker Edixon Perea pegged the post in the 44th, sending the rebound toward teammate David Ferreira, who also hit the post.
“We showed consistency ... despite the lack of key players,” said satisfied Venezuela coach Richard Paez.
In Chile, the draw left Uruguay with 15 points in the South American series after 12 games, while Chile has 14.
Midfielder Mario Regueiro gave Uruguay an early lead in the third minute with a 15 meter (yard) shot. But Milovan Mirosevic tied the game at minute 47, shooting into the mouth of the goal after a good combination by Marcelo Salas and Jorge Valdivia.
On Sunday, Brazil plays Peru, and Ecuador meets Paraguay. On Wednesday, Chile will visit Paraguay in Asuncion and Uruguay will host Brazil.
The top four teams in the group advance to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. The fifth-place team will face the Oceania champion in a playoff for another berth.
Costa Rica Down Panama 2-1; Guatemala Beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-1
In San Jose, Costa Rica, Roy Myrie scored the decisive goal in the final seconds Saturday to give Costa Rica a 2-1 win over Panama in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
In a later match, Carlos Ruiz and Dwight Pezzarosi each scored twice as Guatemala thrashed Trinidad and Tobago 5-1.
Costa Rica won despite playing nearly half the match with 10 men after Jose Luis Lopez was ejected for accumulation of yellow cards in the 46th minute. Whayne Wilson opening the scoring for Costa Rica in the 39th minute on a penalty kick, and Roberto Brown tied it up in the 58th _ also converting a penalty.
Myrie, who entered as a substitute in the 65th minute, put Costa Rica ahead 2-1 on a crossing shot that left goalkeeper Jaime Penedo flat footed.
Costa Rica played at home before a silent, empty stadium. The closed-door game was punishment for unruly behavior by the team’s fans during a match against Mexico in February.
In Guatemala City, Guillermo Ramirez opened the scoring for Guatemala in the 16th minute before the team pulled away on goals by Ruiz and Pezzarosi in the 28th, 37th, 76th and 83rd minutes. Trinidad and Tobago scored on a distant shot near midfield by Carlos Edwards that appeared to be within reach of the goalie before Guatemala’s Nestor Martinez tried to block the shot — knocking it in instead.
Martinez was credited with an own-goal.
