1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

The South American (CONMEBOL) zone of qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup saw 9 teams competing for 2 direct places at the finals, with one extra place potentially on offer to the winner of a play-off. CONMEBOL member Argentina qualified automatically as reigning World Cup champions.

Format

Teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The 2 group winners with the best record would qualify. The group winner with the worst record would advance to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.

Draw

The draw for the qualifying groups took place in Zürich, Switzerland on 12 December 1987. During the draw teams were drawn from 3 seeded pots into the 3 qualifying groups.

Pot A Pot B Pot C

 Brazil
 Paraguay
 Uruguay

 Chile
 Colombia
 Peru

 Bolivia
 Ecuador
 Venezuela

Group 1

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uruguay 430172+56
 Bolivia 430165+16
 Peru 400428−60
  Bolivia Peru Uruguay
 BOL – 2–1 2–1
 PER 1–2 – 0–2
 URU 2–0 2–0 –

Uruguay qualified with the second-best record among the group winners.

20 August 1989
Bolivia  2–1  Peru
Melgar  45' (pen.)
Ramallo  53' 		del Solar  43'
Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Armando Pérez Hoyos (Colombia)

27 August 1989
Peru  0–2  Uruguay
Sosa  46'
Alzamendi  69'
Estadio Nacional, Lima
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Carlos Esposito (Argentina)

3 September 1989
Bolivia  2–1  Uruguay
Domínguez  38' (o.g.)
Peña  47' 		Sosa  49'
Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: José Vergara Guerrero (Venezuela)

10 September 1989
Peru  1–2  Bolivia
González  53' Montaño  45'
Sánchez  77'
Estadio Nacional, Lima
Attendance: 9,500
Referee: Carlos Maciel (Paraguay)

17 September 1989
Uruguay  2–0  Bolivia
Sosa  31'
Francescoli  39'
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Attendance: 70,000
Referee: Gastón Castro (Chile)

24 September 1989
Uruguay  2–0  Peru
Sosa  45', 58'

Group 2

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Colombia 421153+25
 Paraguay 420267−14
 Ecuador 411245−13
  Colombia Ecuador Paraguay
 COL – 2–0 2–1
 ECU 0–0 – 3–1
 PAR 2–1 2–1 –

Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off with the worst record among the group winners.

27 August 1989
Paraguay  2–1  Colombia
Ferreira  48'
Chilavert  90' (pen.) 		Iguarán  87'

3 September 1989
Ecuador  0–0  Colombia
Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Ricardo Calabria (Argentina)

10 September 1989
Paraguay  2–1  Ecuador
Cabañas  36'
Ferreira  67' 		Avilés  84'
Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: José Ramírez Calle (Peru)

24 September 1989
Ecuador  3–1  Paraguay
Aguinaga  26'
Marsetti  72'
Avilés  82' 		Neffa  18'

Group 3

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Brazil 4310131+127
 Chile 421194+55
 Venezuela 4004118−170
  Brazil Chile Venezuela
 BRA – 2–0 6–0
 CHI 1–1 – 5–0
 VEN 0–4 1–3 –

Brazil qualified with the best record among the group winners.

30 July 1989
Venezuela  0–4  Brazil
Branco  5'
Romário  65'
Bebeto  79', 81'
Estadio Brígido Iriarte, Caracas
Referee: René Ortubé (Bolivia)

6 August 1989
Venezuela  1–3  Chile
Fernández  65' Aravena  5', 33'
Zamorano  71'
Estadio Brígido Iriarte, Caracas
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: Antenor Montalván Miranda (Peru)

13 August 1989
Chile  1–1  Brazil
Basay  81' González  56' (o.g.)
Estadio Nacional, Santiago
Attendance: 60,697
Referee: Jesús Díaz Palacios (Colombia)

20 August 1989
Brazil  6–0  Venezuela
Careca  10', 17', 80', 86'
Silas  37'
Acosta  39' (o.g.)

27 August 1989
Chile  5–0  Venezuela
Letellier  14', 34', 69'
Yáñez  44'
Vera  84'

3 September 1989
Brazil  2–01  Chile
Careca  49'
Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
Attendance: 141,072
Referee: Juan Carlos Loustau (Argentina)

1The match was abandoned in the 67th minute with Brazil leading 1–0 after Chile walked off the field when a firecracker thrown from the crowd supposedly hit goalkeeper Roberto Rojas in the head, leaving him bloodied and having to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher; a subsequent FIFA investigation found that Rojas's injury was self-inflicted, using a razor blade concealed in his glove. The match was awarded 2–0 to Brazil, and Chile were banned from qualifying for the next World Cup. Rojas was given a lifetime ban from competitive football (lifted in 2001), as was Chile manager Orlando Aravena and team doctor Daniel Rodriguez.

Notes

  1. ↑ The Chile–Venezuela match was played on neutral ground in Argentina instead of in Chile.

External links