Going to Qatar...Ecuador
forward Michael Estrada
serenades the fansKey man...Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano MartinezWORLD SERVICEon before breaking out late in the game
to snatch an unlikely victory. This came
in the middle of a scarcely credible run
of seven games without a goal, which
cost Colombia their place in Qatar.
The penultimate round was where
Ecuador and Uruguay made sure of their
places. Ecuador were already all but
mathematically assured of a trip to their
fourth World Cup. Like Gareca, GustavoAlfaro is another Argentine coach
who has worked wonders, stepping in
at short notice and, consistently putting
his faith in youth, constructing a quick
and physically strong team who have
surpassed expectations. Ecuador have
problems in some key positions, but the
interesting youth development work
taking place in the country marks them
out as a team worth watching. They
are certainly more than mere altitude
specialists – highlighted by their crunch
victory away to Chile in November.
Uruguay raced over the line with four
straight wins after a change of coach,
with Diego Alonso stepping in after the
long reign of Oscar Tabarez. To be fair,
the biggest change was probably the
quality of opponents – Alonso had a
far easier ride than in the last days of
Tabarez. The new man made some
fascinating tweaks, with the gamble
on young attacking midfielder Facundo
Pellistri proving an undoubted success.
But there are hard decisions to come
about the balance of the side and the
role of some of the veterans. Centre-back and captain Diego Godin has
reached the age when he needs
protection. Is he still worth his place?
And is it now a case of either Luis
Suarez or Edinson Cavani?
In statistical terms, Uruguay were the
best South American side in two of the
last three World Cups. This time, though,
both Brazil and Argentina will travel with
real hopes of bringing back the trophy.
Often one or the
other of the big
two falls into a
hole in qualification
andhavetodig
themselves out.
Not this time. They
were streets ahead.
Both were unbeaten – Argentina have
not lost since the semi-finals of the
2019 Copa America. They still have one
more game to be played – the meeting
between them that was suspended by
Sao Paulo health officials in September,
which FIFA has ordered to go aheadUruguay’s new star
...Facundo Pellistri- though it is not clear where or when.
Argentina have housed Lionel Messi
in the best collective structure he has
ever enjoyed with his country. The sweet
midfield circuit of passing means that he
is being brought into the game closer to
the opposing goal, where he can do some
real damage. Elsewhere, the emergence
of centre-back Cristian Romero and - especially – goalkeeper Emiliano
Martinez has stiffened up the defence.
Brazil, meanwhile, rarely even look like
conceding a goal, and in the last few
months a range of new attacking talents - Antony, Gabriel Martinelli, Rodrygo,
Raphinha, ViniciusJunior – have come
through to take some of the burden off
Neymar. They breezed their way through
qualifying, and probably had the better
of a goalless draw away to Argentina.
The test, though, will come against
European opposition – where both
Brazil and Argentina have met their
downfall in every World Cup since
- With the Nations League – and
the pandemic – there has been almost
no space for Europe v South America
friendlies since Russia 2018. As the
clock ticks down towards Qatar, all
of this just adds to the anticipation.
Full table and results on pages 94-95.
The only matter to be decided in the final
round was fifth place, the play-off spot. Peru’s
2-0 win over Paraguay ensured they grabbed
it by finishing a point clear of Colombia