Wed Sep 11 17:14:58 UTC 2024: ## South American Powerhouses Stumble in World Cup Qualifying
**Asunción, Paraguay and Barranquilla, Colombia -** Two of South America’s biggest footballing nations suffered surprise defeats in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, highlighting the absence of their star players.
**Argentina, without Lionel Messi, fell 2-1 to Colombia in Barranquilla,** while **Brazil, still without Neymar, were upset 1-0 by Paraguay in Asunción.**
Colombia’s victory was built on a strong performance from James Rodríguez, who scored a penalty and assisted on the opening goal. Yerson Mosquera headed in the first goal in the 25th minute, while Argentina equalized through Nico González in the 48th. Rodríguez’s penalty, awarded after a VAR review, secured the victory for Colombia.
Paraguay’s victory was sealed by Diego Gómez, who scored a stunning goal from the edge of the box in the 20th minute. Brazil, despite fielding a trio of Real Madrid attackers in Vinicius Júnior, Endrick, and Rodrygo, struggled to create chances and were left frustrated by a defensively sound Paraguayan side.
The losses highlight the struggles both teams are facing in the absence of their star players. Brazil coach Dorival Júnior, known for his bold pronouncements, has been vocal about his team’s ambition to reach the World Cup final, but Tuesday’s result suggests they have a long way to go before realizing that dream.
**Other results from Tuesday’s matches:**
* Bolivia upset Chile 2-1 in Santiago.
* Ecuador beat Peru 1-0.
* Venezuela drew 0-0 with Uruguay.
**Argentina currently leads the qualifying table with 18 points**, followed by Colombia (16), Uruguay (15), Ecuador (14), and Brazil (10). The top six teams in South American qualifying will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
With two more qualifying matches scheduled for next month, the race for World Cup qualification remains tight.
First Piper 