June 17, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1429

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 16: Brazil lost 2-0 to 10-man Paraguay and Argentina needed a stoppage-time equaliser to hold Ecuador 1-1 at home in South American World Cup qualifiers on Sunday.

Chile completed a dramatic day by winning 2-0 at high altitude in Bolivia with two goals from defender Gary Medel, the first a bicycle kick.

Brazil and Argentina’s poor displays should add to the usual spice when the two meet in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday in the next round of matches.

Paraguay’s win in Asuncion, their fourth in the last eight matches against Brazil, took them three points clear at the top of the 10-team group with 13 points from five games.

Argentina are second with 10, followed by Colombia (9), Brazil (8), Venezuela and Chile (7) and Uruguay (5).

The top four teams qualify directly for the 2010 World Cup and the fifth play off against a side from the CONCACAF region.

Paraguay twice hit the woodwork and were rarely troubled by Brazil despite having defender Dario Veron sent off in the 48th minute.

Striker Roque Santa Cruz side-footed Paraguay ahead from close range in the 26th minute and set up the second for Salvador Cabanas one minute after Veron’s dismissal.

“There are days when things don’t work,” said Brazil coach Dunga, whose team lost 2-0 to Venezuela in a friendly 10 days ago.

“We didn’t have any difficulty on controlling our opponents,” said Santa Cruz.

In Buenos Aires, substitute Rodrigo Palacio came on in the 89th minute and scored the winner five minutes later with the last kick of the game after the Ecuador defence lost concentration.—Reuters