BUENOS AIRES. Apr 3: A typically highly charged night of South American World Cup qualifiers saw eight players sent oil and a mass brawl in La Paz which overshadowed two excellent wins by Bolivia and Paraguay — the latter's 2-1 triumph in the top of the table clash with Colombia sent them three points clear, reports AFP.
Paraguay, who had keeper Jose Luis Chilavert sent off for a dispute with Colombia's Newcastle United striker Faustino Asprilla. last qualified for the World Cup finals in 1986 and with seven games to go and seven points clear of the third and fourth placed teams. Bolivia and Ecuador, they look assured of making it.
An all out brawl between Argentinean and Bolivian players marred the home side's 2-1 win over the 1986 World Cup winners which sent them into third spot- in the World Clip qualifying tabla — the first four automatically qualify for the finals in France next June.
In the other two matches Uruguay beat bottom placed Venezuela 3-1 while Ecuador held on for a 2-2 draw despite having two players sent off.
In the Bolivian match the Brazilian referee Marinho Cidrack. who booked seven players and sent off two Argentineans. was forced to suspend the’match for 10 minutes while the players were calmed down.
Trouble broke out when Argentinean forward Julio Cruz was punched by a Bolivian substitute a minute before the end of the match and retaliated, whereupon pandemonium broke out.
Several of the players on the pitch tried to calm things down apart from Argentinean playmaker Ariel Ortega Who carried on the fracas by punching the Argentinean born but naturalised Bolivian Fernando Ochoaizpur. who had scored Bolivia's second goal.
The Argentinean players who took part in the brawl are nothing short of disgraceful.'" Bolivian coach Antonio Lopez said.
Bolivia went ahead through a seventh minute header by Anntonio Sandy, a veteran ol the 1994 World Cup finals, following a freekick by Ramiro Castillo.
The Argentineans, suffering their second defeat in the group stage, pulled level through a well executed penalty by Nestor Gorosito in the 43 minutes.
However, the Bolivians-sealed their win three minutes after halftime as Ochoaizpur shot past Argentinean keeper Ignacio Gonzales.
The Argentineans went to pieces and Cidrack had no option but to send off both Nelson Vivas and Gustavo Zapata for their second bookable offences in the 66th and 81st minutes — in indication of the way the Argentineans played was that the Bolivian brothers Ivan and Ramiro Castillo were fouled 29
Asprilla. the qualifying group's leading scorer with six goals, and Chilavert. who has scored once thusfar despite playing in goal, were red carded fpr fighting In the 78th ininute and Colombia had midfielder Mendoza sent off in the last minute — they will all miss the next match.
Asprilla jeered in Chilavert's face after the goalkeeper had knocked him over and the referee Wilson Mendonca sent them both off.
The win that gives Paraguay • a three-point lead over Colombia was engineered by defender turned forward Carlos Gamarra.
He scored the first, his second of the qualifiers, after only six minutes and then created the second, a minute after Colombia had equalised through a penalty by Mauricio Serna, after his shot had rebounded off the post and Derlis Soto bundled the ball past keeper Farid Mondragon.
Dual World Cup winners Uruguay reignited their chances of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup finals with their defeat of Venezuela — six weeks after they were whipped 4-0 by Ecuador.
Gonzalo de Los Santos and
Italian based players Paolo Montero, who blotted his copybook by being sent off for a second bookable offence, and Marcelo Otero were on target for Uruguay while striker Rafael Castellin scored the visitor's effort. who slipped to their eighth defeat in nine matches.
De Los Santos, the Uruguayan playmaker, broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when he headed home from Pablo Bengoechea's cross.
The Uruguayans came out in aggressive fashion in the second-half and within two minutes Juventus defender Montero had headed home their second goal — his second in the group matches.
However, the Venezuelans hit back and Castellin finished off a counter-attack created by Dionny Guerra to put the Uruguayans nerves on edge.
Montero received his marching orders, meaning he misses a vital match with ;■ ■ ers Paraguay in Asuncion on April 30, after he committed several fouls in succession on the Venezuelan strikers.
On the hour, though. Otero, who has scored 12 goals for Ve-cenza in Serie A this season, ended the contest with a screaming volley to keep the Uruguayans hopes of qualification alive.
Ecuador, who have never qualified for a World Cup finals. held on for what could prove a vital point drawing 1 -1 with Peru despite finishing" the match with just nine men.
Colombian referee John Toro sent off Augustin Delgado in the 50th minute for a second bookable offence, which Peru seized advantage of by taking the lead through playmaker Roberto Palacios in the 59th minute — his fifth goal of the tournament.
Ecuador equalised in the 79th minute courtesy of an Alex Aguinaga penalty and then held out after Luis Capurro was sent off for his second bookable offence in the 85th minute.
Ecuador remain in the top four, who automatically qualify for the World Cup in France next year, equal on goal difference with Argentina, although they have scored more goals.