SOUTH AMERICAN QUALIFYING: ARGENTINA WERE counting the casualties last night after beating neighbours Uruguay 2-1 in an often brutal River Plate derby.
Coach Alfio Basile said forward Sergio Aguero, midfielder Javier Mascherano and defender Martin Demichelis were doubtful for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier away to Chile after Saturday's bruising tie in Buenos Aires.
In addition, playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme and striker Carlos Tevez are suspended. Riquelme, ever-present in the qualifiers, was booked for arguing with the referee over a free-kick in the second half while Tevez, sent off in two of his previous three internationals, was given a yellow card for petulantly kicking the ball away. Basile will be forced to field a team without Riquelme, which critics have urged him to do in any case.
"We're expecting a very tough match against Chile," said Basile. "I remember when we went there to play at the Copa America in 1991, they certainly made us feel like the away team," said Basile, who was in his first stint as coach at the time.
Saturday's win, achieved with goals from Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero in the first quarter of an hour, ended a run of six successive draws - four in the qualifiers and two in friendlies - for Basile's team. But the crowd again left the Monumental stadium with the feeling Argentina had not played to their potential.
Argentina were not blameless for the vicious second half, allowing themselves to get drawn into a physical battle. Riquelme, in a public row with a Boca Juniors team-mate earlier this week, provided a pinpoint cross for the first goal and had his name cheered by the crowd but faded badly in the second half. And, despite having Diego Milito on the bench, Basile again decided to play without a target man, only bringing the striker on near the end.
Argentinian media gave a lukewarm response to the performance. "Just a little bit of breathing space," said La Nacion.
Leaders Paraguay won again, 1-0 away to Colombia while Bolivia beat Peru 3-0 and coach Erwin Sanchez said he hoped the win could help contribute to unity in the politically-divided nation. Paraguay's win in Bogota kept them top with 20 points, four ahead of Argentina. The top four qualify directly for South Africa and the fifth play off against a team from the Concacaf region.
Argentina FA secretary Jose Luis Meizsner has confirmed Messi will not play against Scotland in November. Barcelona forward Messi was allowed to represent the South Americans at the Beijing Olympics on the condition he would not take part in any friendly fixtures this season.
