The 2026 FIFA World Cup South American Qualifying Tournament ended its five-game third round this morning (10/13), with Brazil beating Venezuela 1-1 at home, ending a 15-game winning streak since 2015. After this round, only Argentina, who beat Paraguay 1-0 at home today, are the only 10 teams to win alone.
Brazil played at home with the best team, with a ball possession rate of 70.2%, shooting 15-9 and shooting 6-2 on target, but under the strict defense of Venezuela, the athletic battle was lacking, and Arsenal full-back Gabriel, who played as the starting left midfielder, opened Neymar's corner header into the net in the 50th minute, which was his first national team goal and the first goal for the Chosen Army. In the 71st minute, Junior's goal was disallowed for offside and the home team missed the opportunity to extend their advantage.
Striker Bello, who plays for Mexican Premier League club Mazatlán, set up an upset goal with an upside-down gold hook in the 85th minute with a cross from MLS Real Salt Lake striker Savarino.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who recently missed the game due to a muscle injury, was still in the squad and came off the bench in the 53rd minute today, when a free kick hit the post in stoppage time allowed the Blanzzeri to win only by a third-minute Otamendi volley, which was only the 35-year-old Benfica centre-back's fifth goal in 106 games for the national team.
In the remaining three matches, Colombia beat Uruguay 2-2 at home, Ecuador beat Bolivia 2-1 away and Chile beat Peru 2-0 at home. In addition to Argentina with 9 points and Brazil with 7 points, Colombia with 5 points and Uruguay, Chile and Venezuela with 4 points are all within the direct promotion range of the top 6; was fined 3 points for allegedly falsifying the player's nationality certificate, and Ecuador temporarily settled in 3 points to qualify for the intercontinental play-offs; Paraguay and Peru each have 1 point, and Bolivia has lost 3 consecutive games by 0 points.
