With consecutive luck, Uruguay took second place in the South American qualifiers

Luis Suarez and his teammates had an important 2-1 victory over Paraguay to break away in the race for tickets to the 2018 World Cup.

Goals: Romero 88' - Valverde 76', Gomez own goal 80'

Playing away to Paraguay is a challenge for any team in South America. In a fierce and tense match, Uruguay had to rely on luck to open the score.

After a poor header from the Paraguayan player, the ball reached the feet of central defender Federico Valverde from more than 20 meters away. The player who belongs to Real but plays for Deportivo la Coruna on loan fired a shot that hit Richard Ortiz, changing direction so that goalkeeper Anthony Silva could not reach it.

Suarez and his teammates celebrate the victory. Photo: Reuters.

The opening goal allowed Uruguay to easily switch to their signature counter-attacking style as Paraguay were forced to push forward. In a quick counter-attack, Luis Suarez dribbled past goalkeeper Silva before hitting the crossbar, and fortunately the ball bounced off Gustavo Gomez and into the net.

Paraguay's late efforts only earned them an Angel Romero equaliser. Defeat at home leaves Paraguay in seventh place on 21 points, three points behind fifth-placed Argentina, who are in the play-off places, with two games remaining in the South American qualifiers.

Meanwhile, with Colombia only drawing 1-1 with Brazil in the early match, Uruguay has taken second place from Colombia, and created a safe three-point gap with fifth-place Argentina.

In the South American qualifiers, the top four places will go straight to the 2018 World Cup finals. These positions currently belong to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Peru. Brazil has already secured a ticket by finishing the qualifiers in first place.

According to VNE