Wed Nov 20 02:14:50 UTC 2024: **Argentina Suffers Upset Loss to Paraguay in World Cup Qualifiers**
Asunción, Paraguay – Argentina suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat against Paraguay in their latest World Cup qualifying match. This marks Argentina’s third loss in the South American qualifying rounds. Despite fielding a majority of their World Cup-winning squad, including Lionel Messi, they were unable to secure even a draw.
Lautaro Martínez put Argentina ahead in the 11th minute, a goal validated after VAR review, but Paraguay equalized just eight minutes later through Antonio Sanabria, assisted by Gustavo Velázquez. Omar Alderete scored the winning goal for Paraguay in the 47th minute, assisted by Gustavo Gómez. Despite late substitutions bringing on players like Garnacho, Paredes, and Montiel, Argentina couldn’t find an equalizer. This loss comes after a resounding 6-0 victory over Bolivia in their previous match.
Despite the defeat, Argentina remains at the top of the qualifying table with 22 points from 11 matches. Colombia is second with 19 points.
In other qualifying news, Brazil drew 1-1 with Venezuela. Despite having stars like Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha on the field, Brazil failed to secure a win. Raphinha scored for Brazil in the 43rd minute, but Telasco Segovia equalized for Venezuela just three minutes later. Vinícius Júnior missed a penalty in the 62nd minute. Brazil currently sits third in the table with 17 points from 11 games.
First Piper 