Argentina feel ‘WC pressure’
Brazil to party
Swiss forward Josip Drmic (top), scores his team’s first goal against Latvia during their World Cup Group B qualifying soccer match at the Stade de Geneve stadium, in Geneva, Switzerland on March 25.
(AP) Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (right), goes after the ball during the World Cup Group H qualifying match between Belgium and Greece at the King Baudouin Stadium in
Brussels on March 25. (AP)
a gap over Hungary, which stayed with seven points in third.
Switzerland earned a fifth win in as many matches after beating Latvia 1-0 to remain on top of the group with 15 points.
Still stuck at the foot of the table, Andorra nevertheless savored the end to a losing streak that had lasted 58 competitive matches stretching over 11 years after drawing with Faroe Islands 0-0.
Romelu Lukaku saved Belgium’s place at the top of Group H, snatching a 1-1 draw in Brussels after being frustrated all night by an unyielding Greece defense. Lukaku chested down the fall and fired past goalkeeper Stefano Kapino with only two minutes of regular time remaining.
Greece finished the game with nine men, but surprised the favorites just 20 seconds into the second half when Costas Mitroglou caught defenders off guard and scored.
Belgium was left with 13 points to Greece’s 11.
Bosnia closed to 10 points after a 5-0 rout of Gibraltar with zero points. Estonia and Cyprus have four points each after a 0-0 draw.
SAO PAULO, March 26, (AP): Argentina was the runner-up in the last World Cup. This time it’s under rising pressure just to qualify.
That pressure will be felt even more in its match Tuesday against Bolivia in the thin air of La Paz, which is located in the Andes at 3,650 meters (11,900 feet) altitude.
Argentina has not won a match there since 2005, upping the stakes a bit more.
Meanwhile, South American rival Brazil will gear up for possible early qualification if it beats Paraguay in Sao Paulo. To advance, the South American group leader needs a victory and a few other results to fall its way. But win or lose, Brazil is heading for the World Cup in Russia with five rounds of qualifying remaining.
Argentina cannot be so confident.
Second-placed Uruguay faces a winnable match at lowly Peru, and fourth-placed Colombia has a real test at fifth-placed Ecuador. Sixthplaced Chile welcomes last-placed Venezuela in Santiago, hoping to climb back into qualifying position.
With five rounds to go, Brazil has 30 points — more than enough to secure a spot in previous World Cups. Uruguay has 23 and Argentina 22.
Argentina put on a poor performance on Thursday, but managed to beat Chile 1-0 in Buenos Aires after a controversial penalty was conceded and converted by Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
The visitors will miss suspended Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano, which is making coach Edgardo Bauza think of dramatic changes to the team.
Before the win against Chile and the loss of Mascherano, Bauza was considering a defensive 5-4-1 formation in La Paz, hoping to save his players’ energy and capitalize on the ball-holding Mascherano. Now he may be forced into a more offensive formation that relies less on counterattacking.
After the impressive thrashing of Uruguay 4-1 in Montevideo, Brazil is so close to the World Cup spot that many players are already looking for new challenges as Brazil chases it sixth World Cup title.
For the spot to be assured, Brazil needs to beat Paraguay and see Venezuela overcome Chile in Santiago. Also, Colombia needs to get its first win at Ecuador in 20 years.
Even if the “official” qualification doesn’t come, there will surely be a party at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo.
The Colombia vs Ecuador match could be key to the aspirations of both teams: Colombia has 21 points, and Ecuador has 20.
The disappointing performance in the 1-0 victory over Bolivia on Thursday is making Colombia fans worry that their team might not qualify for the World Cup.