Ronaldo rescues Brazil from defeat
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Ronaldo preserved Brazil's unbeaten record at home in World Cup qualifying.
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| S. AMERICA STANDINGS |
Team P W D L F A Pts
Paraguay 4 3 0 1 8 6 9
Argentina 4 2 2 0 9 3 8
Brazil 4 2 2 0 7 5 8
Uruguay 4 2 1 1 11 8 7
Venezuela 4 2 0 2 3 6 6
Peru 4 1 2 1 6 4 5
Ecuador 4 1 1 2 3 3 4
Chile 4 1 1 2 5 6 4
Bolivia 4 1 0 3 5 10 3
Colombia 4 0 1 3 2 8 1
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- World champions Brazil threw away a two-goal lead and then needed a late Ronaldo goal to salvage a 3-3 draw against Uruguay and preserve their unbeaten home record in World Cup qualifying.
Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw in Colombia despite going ahead when Hernan Crespo scored after a bizarre deflection.
Ecuador and Peru drew 0-0 in Quito, leaving Paraguay top of the South American qualifying group after four of the 18 rounds of matches.
Brazil looked to be cruising against Uruguay when AC Milan's Kaka bundled the ball in from Ronaldo's cross to give them in the lead on 20 minutes.
Nine minutes later Real Madrid star Ronaldo doubled their advantage with a great piece of skill, flicking the ball past goalkeeper Gustavo Munua and scoring into an empty net.
But Brazil paid the price for failing to concentrate after the break as Manchester United striker Diego Forlan pounced twice at close range to level the match.
When Gilberto Silva headed a freekick into his own net with 10 minutes left, the world champions looked set for a damaging defeat -- until Ronaldo pounced with a fierce shot from a narrow angle on 87 minutes.
Football accident
It was Brazil's second draw in a row following their 1-1 stalemate in Peru at the weekend.
"In all of my career this is maybe one of the most abnormal results I have witnessed," said Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. "It was just one of football's accidents."
Colombia bounced back from their weekend loss to Venezuela with a better performance against Argentina in Barranquilla, ending a run of three straight defeats and picking up their first point, although it came too late to save coach Francisco Maturana's job.
Argentina were gifted the lead on 26 minutes when keeper Oscar Cordoba's goal kick hit a teammate on the head and Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo scored from the rebound.
But Colombia kept the visitors on the defensive for most of the match and equalized early in the second half when Juan Pablo Angel found the corner of the net.
Earlier on Wednesday, Colombia's football federation had said Maturana would step down regardless of the result against Argentina.
"Unfortunately he was not successful with the team," said federation vice president Gabriel Camargo. "The truth is that his time with the team is over."
Also on Wednesday, Ecuador and Peru played out a goalless draw in Quito.
The top four finishers qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, while the fifth-place team faces a side from another confederation in a playoff.
