Ten national teams from South America have started their battles for a spot in the 2018 World Cup. In the very first round, two major surprises were recorded - defeats of the national teams of Argentina and Brazil.
Argentina, which began the match with Ecuadorian footballers without Lionel Messi, lost 0:2 as their striker Sergio Aguero got injured in the 20th minute.
In the 17th minute, S. Aguero had the best opportunity to score for Argentina, but his shot from close range was blocked by the goalkeeper. The Argentine attack was completely disoriented after his injury.
The rapid attacks of Ecuadorian footballers caused a lot of trouble for the Argentines. After half an hour, Miller Bolanos missed a chance, and at the hour mark, Christian Noboa's attempt to "chip" the goalkeeper was slightly off target.
However, Ecuadorian footballers eventually broke through the Argentine defense. F. Erazo scored a header in the 81st minute, and just after the ball was kicked off again, E. Valencia made a beautiful run into the penalty area, passed to F. Caicedo, who doubled the lead.
Meanwhile, playing without Neymar, the Brazilians could not resist the Chilean national team led by Alexis Sanchez. The match in Chile ended 2:0 in favor of the hosts.
Since 2000, Chile has only managed to achieve their 8th victory in 71 matches against Brazil.
The injured "Liverpool" duo, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, could not help Brazil. Hulk played in the attacking line, but the match was completely unsuccessful for him.
Brazil played with fast attacks, but Claudio Bravo's goal was not in great danger throughout the 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chilean footballers scored in the 72nd minute. During a set-piece situation, the ball reached Eduardo Vargas, who scored with a beautiful strike with his foot.
Sanchez then sealed the deal, playing a nice combination with Arturo Vidal and doubling Chile's lead.
Other qualifying results:
Bolivia - Uruguay 0:2
Colombia - Peru 2:0
Venezuela - Paraguay 0:1
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