Perhaps there isn't an elite group of five teams on top of CONMEBOL after all? Venezuela made an excellent case for their potential place in the World Cup on Tuesday, making the most of their chances in Asuncion. The hosts were beaten up by Jose Solomon Rondon, and they're all but out of the running to make the finals after Venezuela's 2-0 road win.
The match was scoreless until the very end of the first half, when Rondon struck to stun the hosts just before the halftime whistle. Cesar Gonzalez played him in behind the defense and Rondon finished calmly, putting his side ahead. Up until that goal, Paraguay had looked like the better side and were unlucky not to be ahead. Venezuela goalkeeper Daniel Hernandez was brilliant in the first half, and gave his side the chance to take the lead.
While Paraguay were the better side in the first half, the second half was a more even affair. Justo Villar absolutely gifted Rondon his brace, spilling a free kick to give Rondon a tap-in finish. It was hardly a spectacular performance from start to finish for Venezuela, but Rondon had more quality in his boots than anyone up top for Paraguay, and that was the difference.
We'll have coverage of every match in our CONMEBOL 2014 World Cup qualifying StoryStream. For more on the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.
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