IFFHS MEN'S CONTINENTAL NEWS - SOUTH AMERICA
Picture : Lionel Messi made 58th assist in his NT career.
Statistics on WC 2026 qualifiers in South America (match-day 12)
Argentina vs Peru 1-0
*Lionel Messi made 58th assist in his NT career; thus, he became the world’s joint highest assist provider, along with Landon Donovan (United States) and Neymar (Brazil).
*Messi is now joint-third best assist provider in the history of the South American Qualifiers, along with Luis Suárez (13 each), behind only Neymar (19) and Alexis Sánchez (15).
*With this win, Messi closed his personal series of 3 defeats, the joint-worst in his career (he lost vs Paraguay in the previous qualifier, adding it to the two losses he had with Inter Miami in the MLS playoffs against Atlanta United).
He had 2 other similar streaks in the past; both also were ended in the fourth game, in 2014 and 2016 (with Barcelona in both cases).
Brazil vs Uruguay 1-1
*This qualifying campaign is 2nd in which Uruguay achieved 1 victory and 1 draw against Brazil (including 2-0 win at home), after the 2002 edition (1-0 and 1-1).
*This qualifying campaign is 2nd in which Brazil lost 7+ points (1 loss and 2 draws) in home games, after the edition of 2010 when they lost 8 points (4 draws).
Chile vs Venezuela 4-2
*Venezuela have now a streak of 8 consecutive games without winning (5 draws and 3 losses), their largest since the start of 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.
*Venezuela have scored 2 goals in the first half in an away qualifier for the 2nd time. The first was also vs in Chile (in 2009).
Colombia vs Ecuador 0-1
*Ecuador beat Colombia away for the first time since 1965 (also 1-0) in a qualifier and since 1977 overall (1-0 in a friendly match).
*Colombia have lost 2 games in a row (for the first time since February 2022) and 4 from last 7 games; before that, they passed 28 games in a row without losing.
*6 of the last 14 Ecuadorian players sent off in a qualifying match (now Piero Hincapié) saw that red card playing just against Colombia.
*The only two teams that were able to win a match in these South American Qualifiers with a player sent off were against Colombia: Bolivia (1-0) and now Ecuador. In both cases, the red cards were shown in the first half.
*A team won an away South American qualifier despite suffering an expulsion in the first half last time in 2013 (Colombia achieved it in Paraguay after a red card to Guarín in the 32nd minute).
*Colombia lost a home qualifier, playing more than a half in inferiority, for the 2nd time (after 0-1 vs Argentina in 1997, playing 48 minutes with one man less).
Bolivia vs Paraguay 2-2
*Paraguay became the first visitors to score and avoid losing at Estadio Municipal in El Alto, new Bolivia’s stadium used for international games (4,100 metres above sea level).
*The Guaraní team have avoided a defeat in Bolivia in the Qualifiers for the first time since 27 July 2000 (0-0).
*The goal of Enciso in the 90'+1' is the first that Paraguay scored in added time to avoid defeat in an away qualifier since 2 April 2009 (Edgar Benítez's goal in the 90'+2' in Ecuador for 1-1).