Colombia secures World Cup spot; Ecuador, Chile close in

Colombia national soccer team fans celebrate their team’s 2014 World Cup qualification, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Colombia booked a World Cup place with an epic 3-3 draw against Chile Friday night. AP

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia — Colombia booked its place at next year’s World Cup and Ecuador moved to the brink of doing the same by getting the results they needed in Friday’s round of South American qualifying.

Colombia came back from 3-0 down at half time to draw 3-3 against Chile, with that result enough to secure its first World Cup appearance since 1998.

With one round of games in regional qualifying to play, the result left Chile in fourth place, with the top four to qualify automatically for the World Cup and the fifth team to go into a further playoff.

Chile and third-placed Ecuador — which won 1-0 at home against Uruguay — are both on 25 points, and fifth-placed Uruguay is on 22, with Ecuador and Chile respectively six and four goals better off than Uruguay on goal difference.

In Tuesday’s concluding matches, Chile is at home against Ecuador while Uruguay hosts already-qualified Argentina.

Uruguay is guaranteed of finishing no lower than fifth, but appears destined for an intercontinental playoff against Jordan for a spot at next year’s tournament.

Chile led Colombia 3-0 at the break, but the hosts responded with a 69th-minute goal from Teofilio Gutierrez and two penalties by Falcao in the 75th and 84th.

Arturo Vidal had converted a penalty in the 19th minute for Chile, and Alexis Sanchez scored in the 22nd and 29th minutes.

Ecuador moved into prime qualifying position on the strength of Jefferson Montero’s goal in the 30th minute.

Venezuela drew 1-1 with Paraguay in a match Friday between two out-of-contention teams.

In a late match, Argentina won 3-1 against eliminated Peru. Veteran striker Claudio Pizarro put Peru ahead in the 21st minute but Ezequiel Lavezzi scored twice before the break as the hosts took command and Rodrigo Palacio added a third in the 47th minute.