Chile loses at Bolivia and will miss third straight World Cup, Uruguay nears qualifying spot
Chile will miss a third consecutive World Cup after losing 2-0 at Bolivia on Tuesday to remain last in South America's 10-team round-robin competition. Head coach Ricardo Gareca later said he he was standing down after his team's failure.
Later, Uruguay beat Venezuela at home 2-0, with goals by Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and got close to one of the region's six direct spots in the World Cup with 24 points after 16 matches. The visitors, with 18 points, are one ahead of Bolivia in the fight for seventh place that grants an intercontinental playoff berth.
Uruguay is seven points above eighth-place Bolivia.
Defending champion Argentina has already qualified. Ecuador will secure its spot with a win at Peru. Brazil and Paraguay, which face off later on Tuesday, could also qualify.
Also on Tuesday, Lionel Messi's Argentina hosts Colombia, which is also seeking a direct spot in the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Golden generation gone
Chile's golden generation won two Copa America titles — in 2015 and '16 — but is out of contention for next year's expanded 48-team tournament.
'Sad, I am feeling bad. Never lived something like this. We have to ask people to forgive us,' veteran Chile striker Alexis Sánchez said. 'We have to keep working. There's change already, the golden generation is buried, I am the only one left.'
Bolivia scored first via Miguel Terceros in the fifth minute and added a second in the 90th with Enzo Monteiro at the 4,150-meter high El Alto Stadium, outside La Paz.
Gareca, the 67-year-old Argentinian coach who took Peru to the 2018 World Cup, told a post-game news conference he was leaving the team after a 17-match stretch that included four wins, four draws and nine losses.
'I want to publicly thank the players and the executives for the support they gave us until the very end,' Gareca said.
___
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