Pressure off Venezuela, on Paraguay at Copa

BEUNOS AIRES (AFP) - Few observers would have expected two of the top three finishers in South America's World Cup qualifiers to be struggling to reach the Copa America quarter-finals, still less stand in Venezuela's shadow.

Yet that is the situation facing both eight-times champions Brazil and Paraguay as both bid to land a place in the last eight while the Venezuelans can largely afford to relax ahead of their final group game.

Although now the baseball-loving nation will hope to go the whole hog and win the group they can afford to lose Wednesday's encounter in the northern Argentinian city of Salta and still sail on having drawn with the auriverde and beaten Ecuador.

Final group rivals Paraguay must, like Brazil, scrap to ensure further progress after two draws and the Paraguayans will not take the Venezuelans lightly after the Vinotinto's impressive showing to date.

The Paraguayans did the double over Cesar Farias' men in World Cup qualifying on the way to coming third in the regional grouping to book a place for South Africa, where they pushed Spain hard before succumbing in the quarter-finals.

Venezuela, meanwhile, were happy with the highpoint of a draw away to Brazil as the traditional continental whipping boys finished above Peru and Bolivia.

Indeed, two points more and they would have had the same points tally of Uruguay, who finally crept into a playoff with Costa Rica before going on to reach the semi-finals.

With the two best third-placed teams in the three-group Copa advancing to the quarters there is a chance that a draw might be enough for the Paraguayans.

But, just like Brazil against Ecuador, they cannot be sure that three points in total will suffice, hence the need to ratchet up their form.

"Now for the moment of truth," says Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino, who will be banned from the dugout after arguing with Colombian match official Wilmar Roldan during the Brazil match.

"We have to correct the mistakes we made in the previous games - we can't depend on luck, otherwise we'll be on our way home," Martino said Monday, adding he believed his side is overall playing better than at the World Cup.

Venezuela counterpart Farias meanwhile is basking in the glory of a first passage to the last eight on foreign soil.

"When you look at the table and see we are first in a Copa America which has coaches of the calibre of (Uruguay's Oscar) Tabarez, (Costa Rica's Ricardo) La Volpe, (Peru's Sergio) Markarian and (Colombia's Hernan Dario) Gomez, then I'd say we must be doing something right!"

Venezuela, almost hourly recipients of praise from President Hugo Chavez via his Twitter account, have in the past been dubbed the "Cinderella" of the Latin American game - but they will go to the quarter-final ball.

Others - including Brazil and Paraguay, may not.