Venezuela secured a 1-1 draw against Brazil in their 2026 World Cup qualifier, thanks to Eduard Bello's remarkable overhead kick. Brazil took the lead with a header from defender Gabriel Magalhaes off a corner by Neymar early in the second half. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr had a goal ruled out for offside. Bello's spectacular strike leveled the score with just five minutes remaining.

Brazil now sit in second place in the South American qualifying standings after three matches, trailing behind Argentina, who maintain a perfect record. Argentina secured their third consecutive victory in Conmebol qualifying, clinching a 1-0 win against Paraguay, courtesy of a superb strike from former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.

The 35-year-old notched his fifth goal in 106 international appearances a mere three minutes into the match in Buenos Aires, executing an acrobatic back-post volley from a corner.

Lionel Messi, who has been grappling with a muscle issue in recent weeks, entered the fray as a substitute in the 53rd minute for the 2022 World Cup victors and narrowly missed the target with a late free-kick that struck the post.

Uruguay, who host Brazil in Montevideo in their next fixture on 17 October, earned a 2-2 draw away to Colombia thanks to a late Darwin Nunez penalty.

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The Uruguayans, now managed by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, trailed to James Rodriguez’s 35th-minute strike but equalised through Mathias Olivera shortly after the interval.

Mateus Uribe restored the Colombian lead, but in the 87th minute their goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was sent off for fouling Maxi Araujo in the box, with Liverpool striker Nunez netting the penalty to earn a point.

In other matches, Chile secured a 2-0 victory over Peru, and Ecuador clinched a 2-1 win in Bolivia. All ten teams in the Conmebol confederation face each other twice in qualifying. The top six teams in the table will secure spots in the 2026 World Cup in Canada, USA, and Mexico. The seventh-place finisher will enter an inter-confederation play-off.