Goals from Ramiro Vaca, Carmelo Algaranaz, Miguel Terceros and Enzo Monteiro handed Bolivia their second win of South American qualifiers and lifted them into seventh place in the 10-team standings. The result was a vindication of Bolivia's move to play Thursday's qualifier in El Alto - Spanish for "The Heights" - rather than at their usual home venue in neighboring La Paz, which is 3,600m above sea level. The thin air of El Alto clearly left Venezuela's players struggling for energy against a Bolivian team aiming to qualify for their first World Cup since reaching the 1994 finals in the United States.

Despite his team's heavy loss, Venezuela coach Fernando Batista refused to dwell on the altitude issue after the game. "Out of 10 questions, eight are about altitude," Batista said. "You won't hear anything from me about it."

Bolivia took the lead after just 13 minutes with a superb goal from Vaca. The 25-year-old midfielder gathered the ball around 30 yards from goal, cut in from the left and unleashed a ferocious shot which flew into the top corner. Greece-based striker Algaranaz then drew a foul from Venezuela defender Jon Aramburu in the penalty box deep into first-half stoppage time before dusting himself off to convert the spot-kick and make it 2-0.

Any Venezuelan hopes of a second-half fightback were snuffed out moments after half-time when Terceros tucked away Bolivia's third goal from close range following an assist by Roberto Fernandez. Monteiro then completed the rout with Bolivia's fourth goal in the 89th minute.

Bolivia opted to switch their home qualifying games to the thinner air of El Alto after playing their first three games of the 2026 qualifiers at the Hernando Siles Stadium in La Paz, taking just three points from a possible nine with losses to Argentina and Ecuador followed by a win over Peru.

With the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico expanded to include 48 teams for the first time, the top six teams in South American qualifiers will be assured of a place at the finals. The seventh-placed team will advance to an inter-confederation play-off.

September 6, 2024

'Very Calm'

Venezuela, the only team from South America never to have qualified for a World Cup, remains well-placed to reach the finals despite Thursday's loss. The 'Vinotinto' are fourth in the standings with nine points from seven games, trailing Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia.

"I trust the boys more than ever. I'm very calm about them because I know we will be thinking about the next game already," Venezuela coach Batista said. Venezuela host Uruguay next Tuesday in their eighth game of qualifying.

Enzo Becerra

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