RIO DE JANEIRO. Oct 9 I Reuters/Internet)
Veteran striker Romario. who hit a hattrick last month on his first international outing in over two years, scored another (our goals on Sunday as Brazil thrashed Venezuela 6-0 away in a World Cup qualifier.
Argentina l»eat arch-rivals Uruguay 2-1 in a fiercely contested River Plate derby while Ecuador kept up their hopes of a first-ever World Cup appearance by winning a pulsating encounter against Chile in Quito.
Peru continued to struggle despite replacing coach Fran-< tsco Maturana with Julio Ce-sai Uribe last month as they lost 1 -0 to lowly Bolivia in La Paz.
The weekend's games, which began Saturday with Paraguay overcoming Colombia 2-0 in Bogota, brought the marathon South American campaign to the halfway mark.
The ten countries play each other twice with the top four qualifying for Japan and South Korea and the fifth playing off against the winners of the Oceania Group.
Argentina are clear leaders with 22 points from five games, followed by Brazil and Para-guay. who have 17 each. Colombia on 15. Uruguay on 14 and Ecuador on 13. The race for World Cup places now appears to lie between these six.
Chile's defeat left them as rank outsiders with 10 points, while Peru and Bolivia, with eight. and Venezuela with three have little more than a mathematical chance.
BRAZIL-VENEZUELA
The irrepressible Romario. leading scorer with seven goals
despite having played only two games, hit a first half hattrick in eight minutes in Maracaibo, then completed Brazil's scoring with another goal midway through the second half.
His form has left millions of Brazilians wondering why former coach Wanderley Luxem-burgo, sacked last month, refused to pick him for the team for so long.
"As long as 1 get the chance. 1 will keep on scoring goals." said the 34-year-okl Vasco da Gama striker, who led Brazil to World Cup victory In 1994.
Brazil, due to name a new coach this week, were playing under interim coach Candinho, Luxemburgo having been given his marching orders last week following a dismal two-year reign which left the national team in chaos.
Debutant Euller and midfielder Juninho Paulista scored Brazil's first two goals in a curious game. The first 20 minutes had been even, with the home fans even chanting "ole" as Venezuela knocked the ball about before collapsing and conceding five goals in 18 minutes.
ARGENTINA-URUGUAY
In Buenos Aires, former Argentina captain and coach Daniel Passarella faced his own country for the first time since taking charge of neighbours Uruguay last year.
The game, predictably, was passionate but short on good football.
First half goals by Marcelo Gallardo, later taken off injured. and Gabriel Batistuta put Argentina in control but a close-range effort by Federico Magallanes three minutes after the break set up a tense second half.
It was Argentina’s first home win against Uruguay since 1978 — ironically, the year that Passarella led them to World Cup victory in the same River Plate stadium.
CHILE-ECUADOR
A 76th minute goal by Agustin Delgado, his fourth of the qualifiers, gave Ecuador a well-earned win over Chile at high altitude in Quito where they have taken 13 out of a possible 15 points.
In a match full of enterprising football, particularly from Ecuador captain Alex Aguinaga. Chile nearly snatched a late equaliser but substitute Sebastian Rosentals shot was brilliantly saved by Jose Cevallos.
PERU-BOLIVIA
The group's two lowest scoring teams met in La Paz. where predictably a single goal was enough to decide the outcome. It was scored by Bolivia's Roger Suarez in the fourth mi-nute. pulling them level with opponents Peru on eight points.