Brazil, Argentina hope to seize their second chance

Brazil’s national head coach Dunga talks to players during a training session in Fortaleza, Brazil.

DPA/Buenos Aires Multiple World Cup champions Brazil and Argentina got off to a bad start in 2018 World Cup qualifying and they will be seeking to get back on track in the second round of play tomorrow. On Thursday, Brazil, without their suspended captain Neymar, lost 2-0 in Santiago to the region’s new bosses, Chile, who already beat Argentina in the Copa America final in July to win the first major tournament in their history. Without injured superstar Lionel Messi, World Cup runners-up Argentina lost 2-0 to Ecuador at home in Buenos Aires. A win in the second round of the qualifiers is crucial to prevent panic among fans in both football-crazy countries. Still without Neymar as the Barcelona striker serves the last match in his suspension for insulting a referee at the Copa America, and also without injured defender David Luiz, Brazil will be hosting the lowly Venezuela in Fortaleza. The task at hand sounds relatively feasible for the five-time World Cup winners, if Venezuela’s 1-0 defeat to Paraguay in the opening round is anything to go by. A bad mistake from defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo handed Paraguay the winner on a platter. And yet Brazil will need to grapple with their own demons as well as rival players. They are still struggling with the mental consequences of the humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup. At the Copa America, they failed to make it past the quarter-finals, and it remained uncertain how the demanding home crowd would react to the team’s recent performances. “We are not worried about the fans booing or cheering. We need to do our job and win,” veteran left back Marcelo said. “We are united, focused, and we are going to get ready for any difficulties, with or without the fans,” said midfielder Luiz Gustavo. “We cannot escape our responsibilities, we need to accept them in defeat too.”  Argentina will again be without Messi in Paraguay, and also without Lucas Biglia and Sergio Aguero, who suffered injuries in the defeat against Ecuador. With confidence issues of their own after losing two finals in major tournaments in consecutive years, Argentina were stunned by both the rare home defeat and a very poor performance in their opener. Paraguay did not play much better in Venezuela, but they at least got the boost that comes with picking up three points away from home. Uruguay and Colombia will seek to build on the opening wins when they clash in Montevideo. The hosts are without star strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, both of them suspended, but they will be upbeat after a historic win at high altitude in La Paz. Colombia miss their injured star James Rodriguez, but Teofilo Rodriguez showed in their win against Peru that he can stand in as team leader. Coming off a 2-0 defeat against Colombia, Peru host in-form Chile, and Ecuador will be up against the lowly Bolivia. As things stand, Chile are the hottest team in the qualifiers, and they are enjoying their new status. “We hope to top the qualifiers,” defender Gary Medel said on Saturday. The 10 South American teams play each other at home and away to decide the four direct berths to Russia 2018, plus a play-off against a team from Oceania for the fifth-placed country.