In Lima, Colombia pulled ahead early, with a goal from Hugo Rodallega just seven minutes into the game, but Juan Carlos Marino equalised in the 39th minute of an intense match in Lima which the host team probably did more to win, particularly in the second half.
Earlier on Saturday, Uruguay also pulled ahead in Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium.
My ball: Guatemalan player Jose Contreras (right) vying for the ball with Saint Lucia’s Vernus Abbot on Saturday at the Mateo Flores stadium in Guatemala City, during a Concacaf World Cup qualifier match. — AFP
A header from captain Diego Lugano in the 11th minute made the hosts hopeful, but in the 55th minute Venezuelan striker Ronald Vargas picked up a rebound off the Uruguayan goalkeeper following a free-kick by Juan Arango to make things 1-1.
Venezuelan coach Cesar Farias said in a press conference after the game that the match showed “the consolidation of Venezuelan football.”
Venezuela is the only country in South America where football is not the most popular sport, and actually comes third after baseball and basketball.
“Four years ago we were surprising. Today we surprise no one. They have to respect us like we respect them,” Farias noted of the improvements in Venezuelan play.
Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez was upset at the draw but relatively pleased with his team's performance.
“The result is circumstantial and does not make us think that everything is utterly wrong in our team. What is wrong is out position in the table, and we have to change that,” Tabarez stressed.
Five games into the South American World Cup qualifiers, Colombia – unbeaten in the qualifying round – stand third with nine points, the same as Argentina and one more than Brazil, although both of these teams have a game in hand. Peru have only reaped three points.
Venezuela now stand close to playing their first World Cup ever. They are fifth in the table, with seven points in five games, while Uruguay are sixth, with five points.
In the South American World Cup qualifiers, each of the 10 teams involved play all the others at home and away. The top four finishers win a place in the World Cup, with the fifth-placed team facing a representative of the North, Central American and Caribbean region in a playoff.
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