Bolivia holds Argentina to draw

By foxsports
Published

Argentina earned a valuable point in the thin air of La Paz on Tuesday with a 1-1 draw against Bolivia in South American World Cup qualifying, thanks to a 43rd-minute equalizer from Ever Banega.

Marcelo Martins scored with a header in the 25th for Bolivia.

The hard-earned draw keeps Argentina atop the qualifying group with 24 points in 11 matches. Bolivia has only 9 points in 11 matches and is unlikely to advance to next year's World Cup in Brazil. The top four advance automatically and the fifth-place team faces a playoff for a berth. Brazil qualifies automatically as host.

The 3,600-meter (11,800-feet) altitude in La Paz is an overwhelming advantage for the home side. Four years ago in qualifying in La Paz, Bolivia humiliated Argentina 6-1.