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Venezuela needs to win against Peru to keep up their hopes, says Cesar Farías

Cesar Farias knows the next match against Peru is crucial for Venezuela.

The 3-0 rout suffered by Venezuela on their visit to Chile on Friday in the qualifiers forces them to have to win against Peru in the following round, said Venezuelan coach Cesar Farias.

"We have to get the three points against Peru to stay hopeful," said Farias, whose team was left with 16 points after losing to Chile, complicating their options.

As for the defeat, Farias recognized "the strength" of Chile, but qualified the superiority of ´La Roja´ by claiming they should have been awarded a goal before 15 minutes had passed and Gabriel Cichero´s injury complicated the game.

"I do not know of any other team that could have stayed with Chile at home as we did. That leaves me happy," said Farias.

The controversial coach criticized the Brazilian ref Sandro Ricci for having disallowed a goal for his squad, which, in his opinion, could have changed the course of the match.

"We have gone several matches where the refs don´t call the game the same way. That is sad," Farias lashed out.

Venezuela will host Peru in the city of Puerto La Cruz on Tuesday in the the sixteenth round of the qualifiers.

Velez thrash Newell’s in Liniers

The two main protagonists in Argentinian football in recent years clashed once again last night in Liniers and it was the hosts, Velez Sarsfield who were left celebrating as they crushed their rivals, Newell’s Old Boys 3-0. It was a welcome return to form for Velez against a Newell’s side hotly tipped to retain the championship. The influential Lucas Pratto opened the scoring with a penalty before second half substitute, Ramiro Caseres added a late brace.

Velez produced their best performance in some time to sweep aside Newell’s and move within 2 points of the league leaders. The opening goal came just after the half hour mark when Newell’s defender, Milton Casco was penalised for handling a cross from the right. Lucas Pratto stepped up and duly dispatched the penalty.

The home side were dominant in the second half and eventually doubled their lead. Once again it was Pratto who was key. He twisted away from his marker to release Ramiro Caseres and he was able to steer the ball under the on-rushing Nahuel Guzman. Minutes later, Newell’s were reduced to 10 men when Pablo Perez was shown a red card for a late challenge, perhaps a little harshly in my opinion.

However, in the name of fairness, Velez captain, Fabian Cubero then got himself sent off for an inexplicable punch to the back of Milton Casco. It made no difference to the outcome, as with 5 minutes remaining, Pratto made some space in the box and unleashed a fierce shot straight at Guzman. The power was obviously too much to handle as he fumbled the ball straight into the path of Caseres who had the simple task of tapping in the rebound.


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International Friendly: Brazil 6 Australia 0

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Brazil cruised to a 6-0 friendly win over Australia on Saturday as the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosts produced a ruthless performance.

Two goals from Jo and Neymar´s strike saw the hosts leading comfortably by half-time at Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, named for the legendary two-time World Cup winner.

A true great of the Brazilian game, Garrincha would have run amok against lacklustre Australia.

And although Barcelona´s new star signing Neymar is the only member of the current crop with the potential to match his predecessor´s legacy, they still had more than enough to brush aside the visitors without getting out of second gear.

Ramires added a fourth just before the hour mark, before Alexandre Pato and Luiz Gustavo extended the margin of victory further still, completing a comprehensive victory for Luiz Felipe Scolari´s men.

After dominating the opening exchanges, it took Brazil just eight minutes to open the scoring.

Neymar found Bernard at the back post, and his volley hit the woodwork, with Jo on hand to slam home the rebound from close range.

The second arrived in the 33rd minute, when Paulinho seized on a loose pass from Brett Holman. Maicon moved the ball forward quickly to Bernard, who crossed for Jo to net again.

Less than two minutes later, Brazil made it 3-0 and put the result beyond any doubt.

Ramires´ slide-rule pass in behind Australia´s defence allowed Neymar to ease past Ryan McGowan, and the Barcelona forward raced away to slip a cool finish beyond Mark Schwarzer.

Maxwell replaced the injured Marcelo at left-back for the second half and it was the substitute who supplied the cross for Brazil´s fourth, picking out Ramires to head beyond Schwarzer in the 58th minute.

A beautifully crafted move involving two more substitutes produced Brazil´s fifth on 73 minutes. Hernanes scooped the ball over Australia´s backline and Neymar cut it back to Pato, whose clever back-heeled finish left Schwarzer helpless.

More punishment arrived with seven minutes to go, when Luiz Gustavo exchanged passes with Neymar before slamming a strike from distance beyond Schwarzer.

In a worrying subtext for the Brazilian government ahead of the World Cup, there were renewed clashes between protesters and police before the match, although not on the scale of the unrest that marked the FIFA Confederations Cup in June.

Scolari heaps praise on Ramires and Bernard

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has heaped praise on midfield pair Ramires and Bernard after Brazil thrashed Australia 6-0 on Saturday.

The duo were drafted into the starting line-up after injuries to Hulk and Oscar during the week and were both pivotal as the Seleção romped to victory.

Ramires set up Neymar to score Brazil’s third goal of the night, before finding the net himself with a header in the 58th minute.

"He is agile, fast and can be used either as an attacking midfielder or defender," Scolari said about the Chelsea midfielder.

"The more versatile the player is, the better he is for me. He is a modern player who can help change the team´s setup during a match if needed."

Bernard, who joined Shakhtar Donetsk from Atlético Mineiro last month, set up both of Jô´s first half goals and troubled Australia´s defence with his pace on the right wing.

"He was great. He can play on either the right or left-hand side with excellent tactical awareness," Scolari added. "He is gaining points and cementing his place in the team."

Next up for the World Cup hosts is a friendly against Portugal in Boston, which kicks off in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Preview: Uruguay v Colombia

Colombia could book their place at next year´s FIFA World Cup if they avoid defeat to Uruguay at the Estadio Centenario on Tuesday.

A 1-0 win over 10-man Ecuador on Friday guaranteed Jose Pekerman´s side a place in the AFC-CONMEBOL play-offs at the very worst.

Despite having a one-man advantage for a majority of the game, Colombia were made to work hard for their seventh consecutive home win and had James Rodriguez to thank for what proved to be a decisive first-half strike.

The result leaves Colombia on the verge of qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998.

Speaking after the game, Peckerman said: "I feel that Colombia won fairly, did important things, took on the role, overcame the difficulties and won well against a very good team.

"Colombia needs to go to the World Cup, we are not there yet, but we´ve taken a giant step."

Many onlookers will undoubtedly be looking forward to watching two of the biggest names in world football going head-to-head, as Radamel Falcao and Luis Suarez both take to the field.

Despite a ban ruling him out of the start of the new Premier League season, Suarez put in a talismanic performance for Uruguay as they picked up a vital 2-1 win over Peru in Lima on Friday.

The Liverpool striker scored twice, including one form from the penalty spot, to secure a win that leaves Oscar Tabarez´s side with a tightened grip on fifth place, with only two points separating them from Ecuador in fourth - the final automatic qualifying spot.

Despite suffering a 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, history appears to favour Uruguay, who have not lost a competitive home match to Tuesday´s opponents since 1973.

Colombia will also be aware that no team has managed to come away from Uruguay with three points since October 2009

Jeg var godt nok også presset i går. Det er ikke lige sådan, når man ikke får sovet tilstrækkeligt. Jeg er nødt til at økonomisere med søvnen på tirsdag. Jeg skal altså have set Jamaica - Costa Rica. Jeg er bange for at CR godt kunne finde på at lave en "Danmark". De slår amerikanerne og tror de er uovervindelige og så smider de det mod gruppens formentlig dårligste hold.

Enig - plus nu de (Jamaica ) har taget point fra Panama og Mexico taber, så har de stadigvæk mulighed for at nå 4 pladsen - det bliver spændende, et par gode kame tirsdag , Uruguay- Colombia, USA - Mexico , Honduras - Panama, Jamaica - Costa Rica og Paraguay - Argentina - skal nok blive godt - regner med at Colombia, Argentina og Ecuador sikrer sig VM billetten Tirsdag, det bør CR og USA også gøre, Honduras kan sagtens lave en "Danmark" også mod Panama - efter deres kæmpesejr over Mexico,plus Panama har de suspenderede spillere mod Jamaica med igen.

Under-fire Uruguay rising to the challenge

South America´s World Cup qualification campaign has featured 35 wins for the home side -- and just 11 for the away. It is a statistic that puts the value of Uruguay´s last two results in stark context.

The Sky Blues had a disastrous 2012-13, suffering four consecutive heavy away defeats and making it difficult for them even to finish fifth and claim the playoff slot. But Uruguay are seldom more dangerous than when they have their backs to the wall. They have since won away from home against their two rivals for fifth place -- beating Venezuela 1-0 in June, and then winning 2-1 at Peru last Friday.

After months of wavering over different tactical approaches, coach Oscar Washington Tabarez wisely went back to basics. His side once more stayed deep, with the defensive and midfield lines close together, and looked to slip their dangerous strikers on the break. The key man, of course, is Luis Suarez, whose two goals and all-around threat were the difference between the two sides in the Peru game. But it is indicative of Uruguay´s fighting spirit that they managed to win in Venezuela with Suarez suspended. Edinson Cavani came up with the crucial goal.

So well have Uruguay done in these past couple of games that they are now fighting a war on two fronts. They have hauled themselves into pole position in the fight for fifth place, three points ahead of Venezuela (who have played one more game), and five in front of Peru. There can be, however, no room for complacency. Venezuela and Peru meet each other on Tuesday. Whoever wins will still be able to put some pressure on the Uruguayans, who have three tricky games in front of them.

But battling for the playoff spot is no longer the limit of Uruguayan ambitions. Those two wins have now carried them within two points of Ecuador, the team lying fourth, the last of the automatic qualifying places. In October´s penultimate round Uruguay will climb up the Andes to meet Ecuador in the mountain fortress of Quito. The altitude (2,800 metres above sea level) makes life very hard for unacclimatised visitors. But Uruguay have already pulled points out of the fire with away wins against two direct rivals. A third triumph cannot be discounted.

First, though, Uruguay host Colombia in the glamour tie of Tuesday´s 16th round. It is a match with plenty of history. In each of the past three campaigns, Uruguayans and Colombians have been in fierce competition to claim fifth place. Every time Uruguay ended up winning the race. The margin of victory was always painfully small, and was always dependent on Uruguay managing to come out on top, or at least hold on for a draw, in this fixture in Montevideo.

This time around the scenario is a bit different. True, Uruguay are once more embroiled in the dogfight for the playoff slot. But Colombia are now almost certain of making it through to their first World Cup since 1998. A draw on Tuesday will be enough to carry them over the line with two rounds still to go.

This is a Colombia side, shrewdly led by former Argentina boss Jose Pekerman, who have rediscovered and redefined the identity of their great side of 20 years ago, who astonishingly won 5-0 away to Argentina. The 2013 Colombia model have clever midfield passing, quick and direct full backs and wingers, a creative wild card in James Rodriguez, and a fearsome battery of strikers. Radamel Falcao Garcia is one of the most feared centre forwards around -- and if he may not be fully fit, Pekerman can pick and choose from Teofilo Gutierrez, Jackson Martinez, Luis Muriel and Carlos Bacca.

And on Tuesday this firepower will be up against a makeshift defence. Uruguay paid a price for their victory over Peru. There were second yellow cards -- and consequently one-match suspensions -- for the well consolidated centre-back duo, captain Diego Lugano and the frequently impressive Diego Godin. The usual reserve, Sebastian Coates, is a long-term injury casualty. Oscar Washington Tabarez will have to patch together a defence and send it out against an attack so dangerous it ran up a 4-0 win when these sides met in Colombia a year ago.

Uruguay are going to have to do it the hard way -- but that seems to be the way they like it best.

Chile win guarantees a playoff spot at least for World Cup 2014

“La Roja” dominates throughout in a 3-0 victory over Venezuela that takes the team to third in the South American qualifiers for tournament in Brazil.

An irrepressible Chilean side rolled over Venezuela on Friday night, scoring three unanswered goals and ensuring, at the very worst, a playoff spot on the road to Brazil in 2014.

With eight wins out of ten games in charge, Jorge Sampaoli now has the best start of any “La Roja” manager in history. Another record — four straight wins in CONMEBOL qualifying — took his team to third place on 24 points, above Ecuador who fell to Colombia on Friday.

In South America, the top-four teams qualify automatically for the World Cup, while fifth spot has a chance at a berth via a playoff against Asia’s fifth place finisher. Uruguay currently occupies the playoff position, having beaten Peru 2-1 away Friday night.

“More than the result, value came from the way we played against a tough opponent,” Sampaoli said after the match. “With these players we can do great things.”

Venezuela can indeed prove tricky opposition, and few expected the visitors to be so comprehensively overwhelmed. Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo left the pitch without a grass stain, while Venezuela’s fullbacks ran most of the game backwards, as Eduardo Vargas and an electrifying Alexis Sánchez bore down on them time and time again .

Before kick-off, anticipation surrounded Jorge Valdívia, who was making his first start since his banishment from “La Selección” under Claudio Borghi. The mercurial playmaker delivered in spades, adding guile and invention in midfield and creating the first goal. Outside of goal celebrations, the biggest cheer of the night was directed at the Palmeiras player when he was exchanged for Jean Beausejour in the second half. After praising him, Sampaoli later said he felt the player was only functioning at 60 percent — a scary prospect for future opposition.

Fans at Estadio Nacional still seemed on a high from Chile’s crushing defeat of Iraq — yet another Sampaoli record — and Mexican waves swept through the stadium as “La Roja” pressed from the first whistle. Goal one came in the 11th minute — Valdivia lofted a ball over the backline to find Vargas who jinked away from his marker to score his sixth goal of the year in a red jersey.

A short period of complacency followed the goal, and the Chilean defense was caught off-guard by a Venezuelan counter. Striker José Rondon was guilty of a shocking miss, and the close call jolted the home team to life.

Valdivia and Arturo Vidal ran rings around the Venezuelans in the final third, and constant pressure peaked with a corner on the half hour mark. Vidal leapt to meet Marcelo Díaz’s delivery — the Juventus man’s header was saved by Daniel Hernández, though the keeper could not prevent defender Marcos González from turning in the rebound to make it 2-0.

Chile was set ablaze after the restart. Hernández somehow kept out a venomous drive from Vargas, and Sánchez was inches away with a volley. The Venezuelans welcomed the respite of halftime.

After the break, a rare foray forward from the visitors ended in a goal disallowed for offsides. The bitter ruling was then followed by the Alexis Sánchez show.

The talented forward has often been maligned for selfishness and poor decision making. In this match, he was one-track minded in his desire to provide for his team. He tore up the sod on the right flank, delivering crosses and unleashing colleagues. The biggest criticism that could be made of Chile’s game was the wasteful use of Sánchez’s prolific service.

The player’s efforts did eventually pay off in the 85th minute. The Barcelona forward’s scooped assist was the second ball in a delightful one-two with Arturo Vidal.

Chile heads to Colombia on Oct. 11 and hosts Ecuador on Oct. 15 in its two remaining qualifiers. Brazil beckons, and if the Chileans keep playing in this fashion they are sure to be favorites among neutrals as they were in South Africa three years ago.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Preview: Paraguay v Argentina

Paraguay´s attempts at qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup could be finally extinguished against Argentina on Tuesday.

Paraguay, who have reached the last four World Cup tournaments, will not be able to reach next year´s event in Brazil unless they beat the group leaders in Asuncion.

The qualifying campaign has been poor from start to finish from Paraguay, who have not recovered from losing six of their first eight matches.

They have failed to replace manager Gerardo Martino, who declined to renew his contract in 2011 following the Copa America tournament.

Martino, who took Paraguay to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, is now in charge at Barcelona.

Both Francisco Arce and Gerardo Pelusso have lost their jobs in charge of the nation during qualifying, with Victor Genes the current coach.

Genes saw his side move off the bottom of the South American qualification group with a convincing 4-0 win over Bolivia on Friday.

Jonathan Fabbro, Roque Santa Cruz, Richard Ortiz and Gustavo Gomez all scored in that match, but the result came far too late for Paraguay.

They have just 11 points from 13 qualifying matches and are sure to be tested by Argentina.

With Brazil not involved in the group – they reach the tournament automatically due to being the host nation – Argentina have enjoyed a productive qualification campaign, losing just one of a possible 13 fixtures.

Of those matches, seven have been wins, with Real Madrid´s Gonzalo Higuain (nine goals) and Barcelona star Lionel Messi (eight goals) in excellent form.

Higuain is suspended for this encounter, as are Javier Mascherano, Federico Fernandez and Diego Garay.

But manager Alejandro Sabella has no shortage of options to choose from to replace Higuain, with Manchester City´s Sergio Aguero, in-form Inter striker Rodrigo Palacio and PSG´s Ezequiel Lavezzi in the squad.

Argentina have not played a competitive match in almost three months, though, with 4-0 and 2-1 friendly wins over Guatemala and Italy filling their schedules in the meantime.

They were victorious the last time the sides met, with goals from Angel di Maria, Higuain and Messi giving them a 3-1 home win in September last year.

And a similar result seems likely on Tuesday, with Paraguay´s miserable qualifying campaign set to be finally ended.