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CONMEBOL WCQ Rewind: Ecuador humiliates Colombia, Venezuela shocks Chile, and more

There were two jaw-dropping results in South America on Tuesday. One was of the humiliating variety and the other was of the upset type.

Matchday 4 in CONMEBOL’s World Cup Qualifying marathon contained plenty of twists and turns, including Ecuador’s historic and humbling victory vs. an overmatched Colombia. Long-time underdog Venezuela also shocked Chile with a late goal and traveling Bolivia held Paraguay to a draw, further destabilizing the region’s standings ahead the next round of games in March 2021.

Not all the matches had a surprise factor, though. Brazil kept rolling with a shutout win against Uruguay, and Argentina cruised to victory over Peru.

Here’s a quick and thorough rundown of Tuesday’s CONMEBOL results and full standings after four matchdays:

Ecuador 6, Colombia 1

(Arboleda 7′, Mena 9′, Estrada 32′, Arreaga 39′, Plata 78′, Estupinan 90+1′) — (Rodriguez 45+1′)

Four days after suffering the worst home defeat in an official match in 82 years, Colombia was handed the most lopsided loss it has ever suffered vs. Ecuador. Six different players, including Seattle Sounders centerback Xavier Arreaga, scored for La Tricolor in an emphatic home victory over Los Cafeteros. This was not a flattering rout, either, as Ecuador got off to an incredible 4-0 lead in the first half of a game that will raise questions about the future of Colombia head coach Carlos Queiroz.

Venezuela 2, Chile 1

(Mago 9′, Rondon 81′) — (Vidal 15′)

Venezuela recorded the first points of its World Cup Qualifying campaign thanks to prolific striker Salomon Rondon. The veteran scored late to give La Vinotinto a narrow surprise victory over visiting Chile. Venezuela initially went ahead after just nine minutes through a Luis Mago finish, but red-hot Arturo Vidal equalized for La Roja shortly thereafter before Rondon proved the difference-maker in the dying minutes.

Paraguay 2, Bolivia 2

(Angel Romero 19′, Alejandro Romero 72′) — (Martins 41′, Cespedes 45′)

Another upset was almost on the cards, but New York Red Bulls playmaker Alejandro ‘Kaku’ Romero Gamarra came to the rescue for Paraguay. Kaku saved La Albirroja from defeat with a slotted effort in the second half against Bolivia. La Verde led at the break after overcoming a deficit, but Paraguay refused to lose and grabbed a point in a second consecutive home match by the same score.

Uruguay 0, Brazil 2

(Arthur 34′, Richarlison 45′)

There is just no stopping Brazil right now. The table-topping Verda-amarela remained perfect through four games with a shutout road win vs. Uruguay. Arthur and Richarlison both scored in the final 11 minutes of the first half to oust a La Celeste side that was without star striker Luis Suarez and that also lost fellow quality forward Edinson Cavani to a second-half red card.

Peru 0, Argentina 2

(Gonzalez 17′, Martinez 28′)

For the first time in 16 years, Argentina went into Peru and won a qualifier. Strikes from Nicolas Gonzalez and Lautaro Martinez that came 11 minutes apart in the first half pushed Argentina past La Blanquirroja, which failed to score for the second straight game. La Albiceleste held tight defensively in the second half, posting a second cleansheet in four tilts in this cycle.

Standings

1. Brazil……….12 pts……….+10 GD
2. Argentina……….10 pts……….+4 GD
3. Ecuador……….9 pts……….+7 GD
4. Paraguay……….6 pts………. +1 GD
5. Uruguay……….6 pts……….0 GD
6. Chile……….4 pts……….0 GD
7. Colombia……….4 pts……….-5 GD
8. Venezuela……….3 pts……….-4 GD
9. Peru……….1 pt……….-6 GD
10. Bolivia……….1 pt……….-7 GD

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