Paraguay extended solidified their hold on first palce in South American World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory over Venezuela at Estadio Defensores del Chaco.
Cristian Riveros put the home side in front in the 28th minute when he put a left-wing cross past Venezuela goalkeeper Renny Vega.
Things got progressively worse for Venezuela as the first half went on, losing defender Gerzon Chacón to injury in the 35th minute. They then fell 2-0 behind just before the interval when Nelson Haedo Valdez capitalized on a defensive blunder by Pedro Boada in the area to extend the Paraguay lead.
Venezuela had a couple of chances late in the second half to salvage something from the match, but Paraguay ensure they will remain in first place through this round of matches.
Paraguay have 17 points from their eight games, five better than idle Brazil and Argentina. Venezuela are third from bottom in the 10-team region with just seven points. The top four teams after the 18 matches will qualify for the finals in South Africa, and the fifth-placed team will face a playoff with the fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF region.
The other eight teams in the region are in action on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s matches
Uruguay – Ecuador
Chile – Colombia
Brazil – Bolivia
Peru – Argentina
