Uruguay a step behind in WC qualifiying
Uruguay still have an opportunity to secure their ticket to Brazil should they win in the playoffs.
REUTERS - Colombia qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals while Ecuador and Chile all but sealed tickets on Friday leaving Uruguay most likely to play a fourth successive inter-continental playoff to join them in Brazil next year.
Ecuador beat 1-0 Uruguay at home and climb to third in the South American group behind leaders Argentina.
Colombia fought back with striker Radamel Falcao converting two late penalties against a Chile side inspired by Alexis Sanchez's first-half brace for a 3-3 draw and the point that put them in their first finals since 1998 with a match to spare.
Venezuela's slim hopes of going to the finals for the first time ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Paraguay, while a rampant Argentina, without Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, beat Peru 3-1 in Buenos Aires with Ezequiel Lavezzi scoring twice after Claudio Pizarro's opener for Peru.
Other World Cup qualifier results:
AFRICA:
Ivory Coast 3-1 Senegal
Tunisia 0-0 Cameroon
Ethiopia 1-2 Nigeria
Burkina Faso 3-2 Algeria
EUROPE:
Spain 2 - 1 Belarus
Wales 1 - 0 Macedonia
Germany 3 - 0 R. Of Ireland
Portugal 1-1 Israel
Netherlands 8 - 1 Hungary
Azerbaijan 2 - 0 Northern Ireland
England 4 - 1 Montenegro
Croatia 1 - 2 Belgium
Armenia 2 - 1 Bulgaria
Malta 1 - 4 Czech Rep.
Denmark 2 - 2 Italy
Faroe Islands 1 - 1 Kazakhstan
Sweden 2 - 1 Austria
Andorra 0 - 4 Romania
Estonia 0 - 2 Turkey
Iceland 2 - 0 Cyprus
Slovenia 3 - 0 Norway
