Argentina loses to Paraguay, Brazil draws with Venezuela in World Cup qualifiers

KATHMANDU: Argentina, the reigning world champion, faced a 2-1 defeat against Paraguay in a South American World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Antonio Sanabria and Omar Alderete each scored a goal for Paraguay, while Lautaro Martinez netted one goal for Argentina.

This marks Argentina’s third loss in the qualifiers, yet they remain at the top of the table with 22 points from 11 games.

With this victory, Paraguay now holds 16 points from 11 matches, placing them sixth in the league.

In another recent game, Brazil played to a 1-1 draw with Venezuela.

Brazil took the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal from Raphinha, but Venezuela equalized in the 46th minute through a strike from Telasco Segovia.

With this draw, Brazil now has 17 points from 11 matches, placing them third in the standings.

Meanwhile, Venezuela sits in seventh place with 12 points from 11 games.