BUENOS AIRES - Argentina’s indifferent World Cup qualifying campaign continued on Saturday when they were held 1-1 at home by Paraguay and had striker Carlos Tevez sent off early again. The point has helped Paraguay to stay top of the 10-team South American group on 14 from seven games with Argentina two points behind in second place. This is Argentina’s third draw in a row.
The last remaining winless and unbeaten records ended when Peru defeated Venezuela 1-0 to move off the bottom and Colombia lost 1-0 at home to Uruguay, who climbed to third.Brazil, away to Chile on Sunday, temporarily camr down to sixth and out of the qualifying places.The top four teams qualify for South Africa in 2010 and the fifth plays off against a side from the CONCACAF region. Tevez, sent off in the first half of the 2-1 defeat in Colombia in November for a petulant kick at an opponent, faces a ticking off from coach Alfio Basile after leaving his team in the lurch again.The Manchester United forward, wearing boots for his second international since then, was dismissed after two bad tackles in the first 31 minutes.”I have to speak to him in private about these dismissals,” said Basile.”Everything was difficult. We played nearly the whole game with 10 men, our goalkeeper was injured and we conceded an own goal. So you can’t really analyse this match in the normal way.”

HEINZE BLUNDER
Tevez’s red card came with Argentina trailing to a Gabriel Heinze own goal, the defender having headed past goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri as both tried to deal with a long ball into the area in the 13th minute.

Despite the setbacks, Argentina caught the rivals on a draw in the 61st minute when substitute Sergio Aguero provided the finishing touch after Lionel Messi burst through the Paraguay midfield. A 14th-minute header from Sebastian Eguren gave Uruguay their win in Bogota.

“I think we controlled the match. Colombia was repetitive and you couldn’t see them finding a way through,” said Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez after the match.

Peru was belittled 6-0 by Uruguay in June and this has brought just a few spectators into the stadium. Only a few thousand spectators bothered to watch them on Saturday.Bolivia had Alejandro Gomez sent off after only 18 minutes and coach Erwin Sanchez ordered from the touchline in the second half in a 3-1 defeat in Ecuador.

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