14 Oct 2012

Messi puts Argentina on top

7:22 am on 14 October 2012

Lionel Messi kept Argentina top of the World Cup qualifiers in South America with a masterful two-goal performance in their 3-0 home victory over Uruguay.

Colombia beat Paraguay 2-0, while Felipe Caicedo also bagged a brace in Ecuador's 3-1 home win over Chile.

Colombia and Ecuador, coached by Colombian Reinaldo Rueda who steered Honduras to the last World Cup finals, are one point behind Argentina in second and third place.

Uruguay are fourth, five points off the pace at the halfway stage in the nine-nation, 16-match campaign.

Chile are fifth level on points with Uruguay and are at home to Argentina on Wednesday but will be without defender Pablo Contreras and midfielder Arturo Vidal who were sent off.

When the qualifiers end in 2013, the top four will automatically go through to the finals in Brazil the following year with the fifth-placed side facing a playoff against an Asian team for one more berth.

Venezuela, in sixth place after a bye on Friday, are on 11 points, while Peru did their hopes some good with a 1-1 draw away to Bolivia at high altitude in La Paz that put them on eight.

Bolivia and Paraguay, who played at the last four World Cups and reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 2010 in South Africa, are in trouble in the bottom two places.