Last night the final World Cup qualification matches were played. The COMNEBOL national team qualification ended somewhat unexpectedly.
The decisive match for a spot in the tournament in Russia played by Argentina could have initially caused panic, as Ecuador's forward Romario Ibarra scored in the first minute.
However, then the biggest star in the field Lionel Messi spoke up. Not even halfway through the first half, he not only equalized, but also turned the result around.
Ultimately, the "Barcelona" sniper scored his third goal, leaving no doubt about Jorge Sampaoli's protégés' journey to Russia.
Meanwhile, the qualification finish did not go well for Sampaoli's former team Chile, who lost 3-0 to the long-standing leaders Brazil.
In the second half, Paulinho and the young talent Gabriel Jesus made a mark. They blocked Chile's path to the World Cup, as they finished in fifth place after drawing 1-1 with Peru, which played on par with Colombia.
This result was expanded by a goal by James Rodriguez answered by Jose Paolo Guerrero.
Meanwhile, from the CONCACAF teams, the U.S. will not be seen in Russia, as last night their footballers unexpectedly lost to Trinidad and Tobago, securing the final place in the final qualification stage.
In the Central American zone, the first three places were occupied by Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama, while the fourth position and the right to play the play-off match went to Honduras, who unexpectedly beat the Mexicans.
Results:
Brazil 3 - 0 Chile
Ecuador 1 - 3 Argentina
Paraguay 0 - 1 Venezuela
Peru 1 - 1 Colombia
Uruguay 4 - 2 Bolivia
Honduras 3 - 2 Mexico
Panama 2 - 1 Costa Rica
Trinidad and Tobago 2 - 1 USA
