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El Alto, Oct 11 (IANS) Miguel Terceros scored a stunning second-half goal as 10-man Bolivia continued their resurgent form in World Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 home victory over Colombia.
The game was mostly played at a pedestrian pace as the rarefied air of Estadio Municipal – located more than 4,000 meters above sea level – made breathing difficult for both sides.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute when Hector Cuellar was shown a straight red card for an ugly challenge on Roger Martinez, reports Xinhua.
Colombia proceeded to dominate possession but lacked precision in the final third. Jhon Cordoba saw his close-range attempt rebound off the left post and goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra saved Luis Diaz’s dangerous effort.
Bolivia emerged from the halftime break with renewed vigor as Colombia began to tire. Terceros put his team ahead by running onto Robson Matheus’s pass and dribbling around two defenders before rifling a 20-yard effort into the far corner.
The hosts maintained control thereafter to secure their fourth win in their past five qualifiers. The Verde now have 12 points from nine outings and are four points behind Colombia in the 10-team South American zone standings.
“I’m very happy to have been able to help the team with my goal,” Terceros said after the match. “It was a difficult contest and we have to celebrate this victory because we deserve it.”
Colombia manager Nestor Lorenzo bemoaned his team’s wastefulness in the first half.
“We knew that it was important to make the most of our chances today,” he said. “Bolivia had one chance in the second half and made us pay. We had several in the first half and weren’t able to capitalize.”
Bolivia will now turn their attention to Tuesday’s duel against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Tuesday while Colombia will host Chile in Barranquilla the same day.
–IANS
bc/
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