After eight World Cup qualifying matches, Argentina remain top of the South American Football Confederation table (CONMEBOL) despite a disappointing 1-1 draw in Peru last night.
Carlos Zambrano gave the home side the lead in the 22nd minute, before Gonzalo Higuain pulled one back shortly before half time.
It was Peru who looked more likely to take the win though, and were only denied by the heroics of Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who produced a fine performance including a first half penalty save.
Whilst coach Alejandro Sabella was unable to field a full strength team, his side still contained the likes of Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Angel Di Maria.
Messi was particularly anonymous and failed to perform at his best in the face of aggressive Peruvian marking throughout, prompting his manager to declare post-match that “he is human.”
“He cannot always play perfectly,” continued Sabella, who will be concerned by the poor performance of players in almost all positions. Argentina can be thankful for Higuain’s proficiency in front of goal, which saved them from losing their top spot in the league.
Elsewhere, Colombia’s talisman, Radamel Falcao Garcia, continued his rich vein of form, producing a man of the match performance to ensure a 3-1 victory over Chile. The win gives Colombia a valuable 3 points, leaving them second in the group standings.
Meanwhile Paraguay have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify, after they fell to a fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of Venezuela, and currently lie in last position.
Uruguay held Ecuador to a 1-1 draw in Montevideo. The result leaves Ecuador in third place, level on 13 points with Colombia.
The league remains tight at the top with 3 points separating the top 6 teams. The next round of matches sees Argentina play Uruguay in a key match that will be played at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza on 12th October.
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