SANTIAGO —
Chile suffered another blow in South American qualifying and its chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup diminished after losing 2-1 at home to a resurgent Bolivia on Tuesday.
First-half goals from Carmelo Algarañaz and Miguel Terceros sealed the victory for Bolivia, which under the leadership of its new coach Óscar Villegas strung together a pair of victories in the double-header of the South American race for the 2026 World Cup.
This is the first time that Chile has lost at home to Bolivia in the qualifiers. The defeat accentuates the bad moment of a team that recently boasted of being the two-time Copa America champion. It also increases the general feeling that the team led by Ricardo Gareca faces being eliminated from the World Cup for the third consecutive edition.
Despite a controversial equaliser by Eduardo Vargas in the 39th minute after goalkeeper Carlos Lampe was injured while trying to clear the ball, La Roja was unable to find its rhythm and suffered a defeat against a solid opponent.
Bolivia had just beaten Venezuela 4-0 in a stadium located more than 4,000 meters above sea level, in the city of El Alto.
After eight rounds, La Verde has nine points and is provisionally in seventh place – a spot reserved for an intercontinental play-off. The top six will qualify directly for the World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Chile, on the other hand, continues to suffer a downward spiral. La Roja was defeated 3-0 in Buenos Aires and is second to last in the table with five points.
An unstoppable Roberto Fernández was Bolivia’s leader on the field, responsible for the two assists that culminated in the goals of Algarañaz at minute 13 and Terceros in the first minute of added time in the first half.
The hosts started better, with intensity and pressing the start, amid adjustments made by a coach who is still working to find the best version of a squad in the midst of a renewal process. But in a moment of distraction, Bolivia stole the ball and striker Algarañaz opened the scoring for the visitors, assisted by Fernández.
The disadvantage on the scoreboard hit the Chileans emotionally.
However, an unusual equaliser came in the final stretch of the first half, when striker Vargas took advantage of Lampe collapsing outside the area.
The play was not without controversy. Lampe left on a stretcher, clearly in pain. On the pitch, Bolivia was asking for fair play and soon a confusion broke out that culminated in yellow cards for Chilean Erick Pulgar and Bolivian Marcelo Suárez.
As soon as the fans finished celebrating, Fernández, who usually plays as a full-back but has been playing as a midfielder, shone once again. He did damage on the right and gave a precise pass for Terceros to score the goal of redemption for La Verde in added time.
The second half maintained the same intensity and tension, so Gareca moved the pieces around in search of greater synchronicity. The introduction of Jean Meneses and Gonzalo Tapia, alongside Vicente Pizarro, managed to give dynamism and speed to a team that struggled to find space and concede a goal throughout the match.
The changes had some effect and Chile tried their luck with Pizarro, Matías Catalán and even an anemic Carlos Palacios. But La Verde’s second goalkeeper, Guillermo Viscarra, stood out in neutralising Chile’s attempts.
The heated match also featured two disputed penalties in favor of La Roja in the final minutes, for an alleged handball by the Bolivian defense, but the referee dismissed both, the second thanks to the VAR.
