The pivotal "Clásico del Pacífico" has left Peru and Chile with slim chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Before diving into the main topic of our article, let's take a moment to discuss the recent Nations League match featuring one of the current legends of modern world football, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Indeed, “El Comandante” thrilled his millions of fans worldwide, especially my Cuban colleague Daguito Valdés, who meticulously tracks CR7's achievements.
Aside from the fact that Cristiano, with his double in the 5-1 rout against Poland, reached his 910th goal; Daguito highlighted two new records set by the Portuguese football genius.
3 The first record is of national significance. CR7 became the oldest footballer to score a goal for the Portuguese national team, achieving this feat at the age of 39 years, 9 months, and 9 days. He broke the previous record held by Pepe (39 years, 9 months, and 8 days).
With his second record, “El Bicho” has once again etched his name in the Guinness Book of Records. He achieved 825 wins throughout the history of football. Furthermore, CR7 is currently the top scorer, alongside Džeko, in all leagues of the Nations League this season, with 5 goals. That's simply amazing!
As of now, the Portuguese national team has 13 points and remains undefeated, leading League A in group A1. ‘Los lusos’ are just a step away from an early quarter-final qualification. If they win their upcoming match against Croatia on November 18, Roberto Martínez's team will firmly assert their claims for a second title in this continental tournament.
And what about Leo Messi lately, fans of the Argentine veteran may ask? This time, his situation has not been very favorable.
Leo experienced his first setback with his team in the USA. Despite Messi's goal, “Inter Miami” lost 2-3 at home to “Atlanta United,” thus being eliminated from the playoffs of the 2024 MLS Cup. The twist here is that one of the heroes behind this surprise from “Atlanta United” was Russian forward Alexey Miranchuk, who transferred from Italian ‘Atalanta’ last summer. Yes, it was his assist that sealed the fate of the ‘Miami Pink Flamingos’. Along with Miranchuk, Peruvian central defender Luis Abram also advanced to the quarter-finals. What can we say about these brave guys? Absolutely fantastic!
4 For more on the second setback of LMC10 (Lionel Messi Cuchitini 10), read below.
Now, dear readers, let's move on to the main topic of our coverage.
Matchday 11 of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in CONMEBOL
Venezuela – Brazil, 1:1
The Venezuelan city of Maturín, which has been in the spotlight due to the very poor weather that forced the CONMEBOL officials to make Argentina play in the previous round, also hosted an exciting match between ‘Vino Tinto’ and ‘Zamberos’. The hard-fought 1-1 draw marked the first time in history that the Venezuelan team has earned points at home against the five-time world champions.
5 Brazil opened the scoring at the “Monumental” stadium in eastern Venezuela in the 43rd minute with a penalty from Rafinha, the star of “Barcelona,” following a foul on Guimarães. Venezuela equalized only at the start of the second half (46’) thanks to a powerful shot from Telasco Segovia after a pass from Jefferson Savarino.
Ecuador – Bolivia 4:0
‘Los Plataneros’ (farmers who grow bananas) left no stone unturned against the Bolivian mountaineers. The match took place in Guayaquil, a city that is situated about 4 meters above sea level. This typically complicates life for Bolivians, as they are strong only in high-altitude conditions.
As a result, the team coached by Sebastián Beccacece has significantly climbed the table, now sitting in fifth place with 16 points, ahead of Paraguay on goal difference. Enner Valencia (from a penalty), Alan Minda, and Gonzalo Plata (twice) scored for the Ecuadorians.
Paraguay – Argentina 2:1
This Paraguay is truly impressive and surprising! This is the second setback for Leo Messi, this time with ‘La Scaloneta’ recently. After their triumph in the Copa América, the Argentines have struggled to regain stable performance. While they currently lead the table with 22 points, their previous style of play as world champions is missing.
6 Uruguay – Colombia, 3:2
I hope that with this result, the Charrúas have started to restore their lost prestige. They fought throughout the match, even Kintero surprised the hosts in the 31st minute, but then Sánchez and Aguirre turned the score around. The ending was heart-stopping. Gómez equalized to 2-2 in the 86th minute, but in the 101st minute, Ugarte scored the winning goal, and “Centenario” erupted in celebration.
Uruguay has accumulated 19 points and is in second place.
7 Peru – Chile 0:0
This match, seemingly the least significant between the underdogs, attracted the most attention of the round. The matter is this. In just a few days, events in Peru have outraged and disappointed many Peruvians. For the third consecutive time, the presidents of the Peruvian Football Federation have found themselves behind bars. This time, his name is: Agustín Lozano Saavedra. He is suspected of organizing a criminal group and money laundering. The preliminary arrest will last 15 days.
Maybe this gentleman is innocent, but the mere fact that an official of such rank was arrested is a disgrace! In any case, the entire country is waiting for his resignation from office.
As for the Chilean national team, Ricardo Gareca set aside his ego and played his trump card named ‘King’ Arturo Vidal. Yes, this caused quite a stir. Fossati countered with his card: the veteran ‘Predator’ Paolo Guerrero. Neither was able to showcase their previous quality of play or effectiveness on the field. In my opinion, apart from the Peruvian goalkeeper ‘Pantera’ Káceda, defender Aldo Corso justified his presence in the match.
The Peruvian observer for the newspaper ‘Líbero’, Gustavo Peralta, who reported on the match live from the ‘Monumental’ stadium, where ‘Incaicos’ faced ‘Mapuchos’, provided his analysis of this encounter for “MK Sport,” the meager result of which has put both teams literally on the brink of elimination from the race for the 2026 World Cup: “I want to emphasize that this draw practically knocks us out of the 2026 World Cup. It may still be mathematically possible to reach the playoffs, but I see that as extremely difficult to achieve. Moreover, the quality with which both teams played was exceptionally poor. We witnessed the worst versions of Peru and Chile. The match was not visually pleasing. The Peruvian players in this match, which should have been a turning point, did not give their all as we expected; there was no commitment to win the match. I also see that the tactical coaching system is unsuccessful and does not suit what our players are accustomed to. Unfortunately, this stubbornness from Jorge Fossati's coaching staff... Now we can only hope for a miraculous result against the Argentines in the 12th round, but I have little faith in that. Most likely, Peru will end up in last place in the table.”
I find it hard to disagree with Gustavo Peralta. Of course, there have been times when underdogs have surprised the favorites. After all, who knows what might happen?
We shall see.
8 Lorenzo de Chosica, special correspondent for the newspaper "Libero" in Russia, exclusively for "MK-Sport".
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