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5:52
Victory for Uruguay and Argentina, draw for Brazil against Ecuador
This Thursday the three matches corresponding to date 15 of the South American Qualifiers were held.
The first of them was between Brazil and Ecuador ; the 'Canarinha' visited the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in Quito in which a match was played where the VAR was the protagonist along with the controversial refereeing decisions.
The Ecuadorian team began attacking, although they could not score a goal, but the Brazilians did take advantage of their chance. In minute 6, Casemiro would score after a poorly cleared corner by the local goalkeeper, Coutinho crosses the ball and ends up on the edge of the goal line, at which point the Real Madrid midfielder pushes it and scores the first.
The match would continue with chances for the visitors, but at minute 15, in a ball that appealed to Cunha's speed, goalkeeper Domínguez jumped to clear it with a kick, but the studs hit the Verdeamarelo striker's neck. The referee reviewed the VAR and expelled the tricolor goalkeeper.
Quickly, coach Gustavo Alfaro moved the bench and put in goalkeeper Galíndez for Franco, Ecuador was left with only 10 players.
However, at minute 21', on a long pass, winger Emerson, wanting to clear, did not see Estrada's anticipation and ended up kicking the Ecuadorian hard. The referee sends him off when he gets the second yellow card.
Then there was a move very similar to that of the expulsion of the goalkeeper from Ecuador.
The goalkeeper Alisson leaves the area at 26' to clear a ball with his feet, but on the play he raises his leg and hits Valencia on the head. The referee takes out the red, but after reviewing the VAR, he calls for a foul, changing the red for yellow.
Starting the second half, Ecuador would continue trying to equalize and Estrada, in minute 49, would score a goal that would be annulled because the ball had gone over the baseline before it was passed to them.
The controversial decisions would continue, since in the 55th minute Raphinha would commit a dubious infraction against Estupiñán inside the area, the referee instantly awarded a penalty, but he would review the VAR again and reverse his decision.
It would not be until 75' that Torres would tie the match and he did so after heading the ball that would come after a corner executed by Plata. 1-1 definitive.
The VAR was once again the protagonist in the 92nd minute, when goalkeeper Alisson, clearing with his fists and not calculating correctly, hit Preciado in that action.
The referee whistled for a penalty again and sent off the goalkeeper when he got the second yellow card, but when consulting the VAR, he would reverse both the maximum penalty and the expulsion.
For this reason, as a curious fact, Alisson becomes the first player to be sent off twice and be reinstated twice by VAR in the same match. The meeting ended in a draw; Brazil continues to lead with 36 points and Ecuador in third position with 24 units.
Uruguay won 0-1 against Paraguay
The second match was Paraguay vs. Uruguay, held at the Gral. Pablo Rojas stadium in Asunción, and the visitors won by the minimum against a team that rarely dominated the match.
The Paraguayans' best moment was the first 15 minutes, after which 'La Celeste' dominated the rest of the game, although it should be noted that at 90+5' the Paraguayan defender Gustavo Gómez Portillo was sent off.
The first half ended with a goalless draw, but in the second half the goal would come through Luis Suárez at minute 50, who received a fast pass, bordering the offside, but managed to dominate the ball and define a powerful left foot.
With that goal the 'charrúas' would obtain the victory and coach Diego Alonso would complete a perfect debut. La Celeste is provisionally catapulted to fourth place with 19 points, pending the match between Colombia and Peru, while Paraguay is ninth with 13 points.
Argentina wins with authority in Chile
The last game of the day took place at the Zorros' del Desierto stadium in Calama between Chile and Argentina. It was a well-contested confrontation full of chances for both teams, but it was decided in the first half.
Lionel Messi was the great absentee because he is recovering from Covid-19, but despite this, Scaloni's team knew how to dominate the game and win with authority as a visitor.
Proof of this is Di María's great goal at minute 9, the 'noodle' led an attack at speed, as he is used to and reaching the front cuts inwards and hits him cross with power. Great goal! 0-1 partial.
'La Roja' would not take long to respond, at minute 20, Ben Brereton would head a ball after a far cross from the right and the ball would make a kind of Vaseline that would end up sending it to the back of the net. Provisional 1-1 draw.
However, at 33' the final 1-2 would take place, in a move directed by Rodrigo De Paul, who starts from the center of the field and with space takes a powerful shot from distance, Claudio Bravo saves, but rebounds in the middle and Lautaro Martínez did not miss that opportunity, but scored the last goal of the match.
The second half was a formality for Argentina, the strategy was, without a doubt, to hold the score until the end. With this victory, the Albiceleste reaches 28 games without defeat, in addition to being in second position with 32 points.
