Wed Sep 11 09:34:26 UTC 2024: ## South American Giants Stumble in World Cup Qualifying
**Asunción, Paraguay and Barranquilla, Colombia -** Brazil and Argentina, two of South America’s footballing heavyweights, suffered surprise defeats in their respective World Cup qualifying matches on Tuesday.
Brazil’s woes continued with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay, marking their fourth defeat in their last five qualifiers. Diego Gómez’s stunning strike from the edge of the box in the first half secured the victory for the hosts, leaving the five-time World Cup champions in fifth place in the standings. Despite dominating possession, Brazil struggled to create clear-cut chances and their lack of confidence was evident on the pitch.
“The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that’s reflected in the result,” admitted defender Marquinhos. “There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence.”
Meanwhile, Argentina, despite losing 2-1 to Colombia, remain top of the table. Captain James Rodríguez played a pivotal role in the victory, setting up Yerson Mosquera’s opening goal and converting a penalty to secure the win. Nicolás González had equalized for Argentina early in the second half, but a VAR-assisted penalty awarded to Colombia allowed Rodríguez to regain the lead.
Argentina’s continued absence of Lionel Messi, who is recovering from an ankle injury, is a significant concern for the team. However, coach Lionel Scaloni is hopeful that the superstar will return for the next round of qualifiers in October.
Despite the defeats, both Brazil and Argentina remain in a strong position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. However, these results highlight the challenges that both teams face as they strive to maintain their dominance on the international stage.
First Piper 