Uruguay beats Colombia 3-2 on last-minute goal in South American qualifying

MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay beat Colombia 3-2 on Friday with a last-minute goal in South American World Cup qualifying, and eased the pressure on coach Marcelo Bielsa.

It was Uruguay's first home win in a year.

Juan Fernando Quintero opened the scoring for the visitors in the 31st minute with a surprising direct free kick shot from the left edge of the penalty box. The hosts equalized in the 57th minute with an own goal by Davinson Sánchez.

The most dramatic moments of the match in Montevideo came in injury time. André Gomez equalized for Colombia in the 96th minute from close range, but Manuel Ugarte gave the hosts the victory four minutes later with a shot from the edge of the box.

Peru hosted Chile later Friday in Lima.

Bielsa has been under fire since October, when just-retired striker Luis Suárez criticized him f or the way he treated players during the Copa America, saying the “friction” hurts. Other Uruguay players did not defend their coach from the criticism, and Bielsa himself admitted his grasp over the team was shaken.

The match in Montevideo was the first since the two teams clashed in a tense semifinal of the latest Copa America, with the Colombians reaching the final. Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a Copa America semifinal on Wednesday night.

Argentina, which lost 2-1 to Paraguay on Thursday, remains on top of the 10-team South American round-robin competition with 22 points in 11 matches, with Uruguay and Colombia three points behind. Brazil is in fourth place in the standings with 17 points after its 1-1 draw at Venezuela.

Also on Thursday, Ecuador beat Bolivia 4-0. The Ecuadorians remain in fifth position with 16 points, while Bolivia is in eighth place with 12 points.

Next Tuesday, Uruguay will travel to Brazil and Colombia will host Ecuador.