CONMEBOL WCQ Wrap: Brazil Qualifies, Argentina Survives

The stadium in Rosario, Argentina - the Gigante de Arroyito - could not save the Albiceleste on Saturday

Diego Maradona campaigned to have the match moved from Buenos Aires. El Monumental had no atmosphere, he said. The track around the pitch kept the fans too far from the players, with the stands themselves laying on the slow incline you expect from a multi-purpose facility. For River Plate, the stadium is fine. Then again, River Plate has been under-performing, too.

AFA responded and shifted the match to Rosario. The Gigante seats 14,000 fewer people, but they sit right on the pitch – the stands climbing at a steep angle away from the field. And without the athletics track around the playing surface, a primed fan base would be that much more intimidating for the Albiceleste’s arch rivals.

Not that any of that mattered. Remarkably, Brazil has become too good to let any of these factors affect them. The larger, hyped crowd only served to underlie the pathos of Argentina’s plight when groans of shock leaked from the stands after Luis Fabiano’s 30th minute goal made it 2-0. Jesus Dátolo pulled the hosts within one early in the second half only to have Fabiano restore the lead two minutes later.

Brazil's Luis Fabiano in the middle of his coming-out party

Before contemplating Argentina, Fabiano deserves consideration. You would think a coming-out party unnecessary for a player fronting the attack of La Liga’s third place team, but Fabiano was a relative unknown to many football fans before this summer. His name was recognized because of his club goal totals (he scored a career high 34 all-competition goals two seasons ago), but because Sevilla isn’t on television as often as Real Madrid or Barcelona, English-speaking audiences overlooked him.

But it wasn’t just the English-language media and fans. Though highly regarded, Fabiano has always been a bit overlooked, with some considering his goal totals a product of being a successful club’s focal point in attack (Sevilla won the UEFA Cup the year Fabiano scored 34 goals). Last season, as Diego Forlan, Samuel Eto’o and David Villa pushed 30 league goals and battled for the Pichichi, Fabiano scored only eight goals in 26 league appearances, and nobody lamented the absence.

Contributing to the shadow cast over him is his history with the Selecão. Though he made his debut for Brazil in 2003, Fabiano went three years (after his move from Sáo Paulo to Porto) without a cap. Under Dunga, Fabiano has resurfaced and made up for lost time. Since his recall in 2006, Fabiano has 19 goals in 21 appearances, including a tournament-leading nine in CONMEBOL qualifying.

Beyond the raw goal totals has been the timing. United States-supporters have made Fabinao into a pejorative after his brace in the Confederations Cup final, his opening minute goal in the match’s second half halving the U.S.’s lead, setting the tone for Brazil’s comeback. On Saturday in Rosario, Fabiano’s second goal quelled any idea the Argentines had of getting back into the match. Two minutes after Jesus Dátolo asked of Argentina could play with Brazil, Fabiano answered.

Fabiano’s first goal, along with Luisão’s 24th minute opener, saw Brazil take advantage of disorganized defending from the Argentines. Somebody failed to mark Luisão for the defender’s goal, while Fabiano put home a deflected pass to which the Argentine back line should have reacted better. But as much as those goals were due to Albiceleste failures or inexperience (the center pair for Argentina had a combined one international cap), it’s unclear how many other nations would have been capable of stopping Brazils. The Selecão showed they are the best team in the world, locking up a spot in South Africa as a result of their win.

It was not all bad news for Argentina, as they got welcome results from Lima and Medellín.

Peru's Hernán Regnifo may have knocked Uruguay out of South Africa

The Estadio Monumental was the site of the most surprising result of the day, as Peru got an 86th minute goal from Hernán Rengifo to deal Uruguay’s World Cup hopes what might be a fatal blow. Peru had only won one previous match in qualifying, so Uruguay – a nation that was ranked 12th in the world two months ago – could expect three points even without suspended Diego Forlan. Instead, Uruguay saw a series of decent chances go wanting, and their opportunity to pull within one point of the defeated Argentines disappeared amidst Rengifo’s game winner.

Objectively, Uruguay is only slightly worse off today than they were on Friday. They’re still four points behind Argentina and two points behind the fifth place, playoff qualifying spot. But now they are seventh (not sixth) in the group, meaning they have to play two points better than both Colombia and Ecuador to advance. Thankfully for the Uruguayans, they play each of those teams (in addition to Argentina) to close out qualifying.  As a result, they still control their own destiny, though that control comes with the price of having the one of the toughest remaining fixture lists of the remaining World Cup aspirants.

The honor of having the toughest might go to Colombia, however, though their upcoming matches with Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay come with the silver lining of still being in the qualification hunt. On Friday, there prospects did not look so good, with Ecuador coming to Medellín.

Those prospects changed early in the second half with Pablo Palacios, who had come on half-way-through the first half to replace an injured Carlos Tenorio, was given his second yellow card under comically frustrating circumstances. A blatant dive in the Colombia penalty area brought an obligatory yellow card from Argentine official Sergio Pezzotta, giving the hosts nearly a whole half to play up a man.

Predictably, Ecuador wore down, and in the 82nd minute Jackson Martinez put Colombia ahead. Teofilo Gutierrez was the official scorer of the second goal, though he stole it on the line from Giovanni Moreno, the lanky, young Cafetero midfielder who had a critical role in each goal. A beautiful touch for Martinez sent the young striker in for the first goal, while he broke down the tired Ecuador defense for what should have been his first international goal.

The two other CONMEBOL qualification contenders – Chile and Paraguay – moved closer to South Africa. Chile had a disappointing 1-1 draw in Santiago to Venezuela, but they remain seven points clear of fifth with three rounds left. They could be qualified by Wednesday night.

For the Venezuelans, their faint hopes of qualification survive, moving into a tie with Uruguay.

Paraguay sits with 27 points, and after their 1-0 win over Bolivia in Ascunción, they  look guaranteed a spot in South Africa. Bolivia is one of only two nations in this ten team group that can truly be considered out-of-it.