Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia booked their place at next year’s World Cup finals on Tuesday in a thrilling final round of qualifiers that saw South American champions Chile eliminated.
Argentina advanced after a Lionel Messi hat-trick secured a 3-1 win in Ecuador.
Soccer Football – 2018 World Cup Qualifiers – Uruguay v Bolivia – Centenario stadium, Montevideo, Uruguay – October 10, 2017. Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani celebrates after qualifying to the World Cup finals. REUTERS/Andres Stapff
Uruguay meanwhile sealed their place in Russia with a 4-2 home win over already-eliminated Bolivia.
Colombia qualified after a battling 1-1 draw with Peru in Lima.
Peru’s draw was good enough to give them a playoff berth which will see them take on New Zealand over two legs for a place in the finals.
But the combination of results spelt the end of the road for Chile, who were beaten 3-0 by Brazil and knocked out.
© AFP
