Argentina and Brazil lead the way in South America qualifiers

Argentine Roberto Ayala (R) and Colombian Edixon Perea vie for the ball. Powerhouses Argentina and Brazil consolidated their positions atop the South American zone World Cup qualifying groups after the latest round of matches.

Powerhouses Argentina and Brazil consolidated their positions atop the South American zone World Cup qualifying groups after the latest round of matches.

The Argentinians stayed ahead on 28 points from 13 games after a 1-0 home win over Colombia, while world champions Brazil stayed within four points of their arch-rivals after a 1-1 draw in Uruguay.

Ecudador's 2-2 draw in Peru left them third in the 10-country group on 20 points with Paraguay in fourth a further point back thanks to a 2-1 home win at home over struggling Chile.

The top four teams after all 18 games have been played qualify automatically for the finals in Germany next year with the fifth-placed team going into a two-leg play-off against either Australia or the Solomon Islands.

Former AC Milan striker Hernan Crespo was the hero in Buenos Aires scoring the only goal of the game over 10-man Colombia.

Argentina set out in positive mood in front of 60,000 fans at the Estadio Monumental, nursing memories no doubt of the 5-0 humbling inflicted by their guests on home soil in a qualifier for the 1994 World Cup.

Among those back after skipping Saturday's 2-1 win were Crespo, paired up front with Monaco's Javier Saviola, Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti and Juan Pablo Sorin.

Argentina boast the best attack in the group yet they were unable to break the Colombians in the first half despite Saviola and Crespo, on-loan from Chelsea to AC Milan, being constant thorns in the Colombian defence.

Crespo came up with one of the half's best chances but his close-range header lacked direction.

One of Colombia's few opportunities was produced by their playmaker, Giovanni Hernandez, who charged down the left and let fly only for the strike to be punched away out of danger by the assured Abbondanzieri.

Then four minutes from the break Vargas was handed his marching orders from Paraguayan referee Carlos Amarilla when he picked up a second yellow card after charging down a goalward-bound Saviola.

Argentina were running rings around the Colombian back line from the start of the second period and their patience finally payed off with Crespo's 65th minute lightning close range strike.

Brazil needed a 68th minute equaliser from Emerson to get a share of the points in Montevideo.

The hosts seized a 1-0 lead before a passionate home crowd of 65,000 on Diego Forlan's goal in the first minute of the second half.

But Emerson sent home the equalizer to give Brazil a critical point.

Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossato was furious that the goal was allowed claiming that three Brazilian players had been offside.

"Our team is playing well and looks solid but I feel its like four points lost in the drawn games against Chile and Brazil," he said.

In Lima, Jefferson Farfan's goal in the 58th minute lifted hosts Peru into a 2-2 draw with Ecuador.

The hosts trailed 2-1 at halftime after Antonio Valencia scored in first half stoppage time for Ecuador.

Paolo Guerrero opened the scoring for Peru in the first minute of play but Ecuador's Ulises de la Cruz equalized in the third minute.

In the night's other game, goals from Gustavo Morinigo after 37 minutes and Jose Cardozo after 60 minutes were enough to give all three points to Paraguay even though Mauricio Pinilla pulled one back for Chile with 17 minutes to go.

That result left Chile struggling to reach the finals with just 14 points from 13 games, leaving them languishing back in seventh place.

The other South American zone game in this round of ties was on Tuesday and ended in a 3-1 home win for Bolivia against Venezuela.