MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — In an exciting encounter during the South American World Cup qualifiers, Uruguay secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Colombia with a last-minute goal, alleviating some of the pressure on coach Marcelo Bielsa.

The match kicked off with a bang as Juan Fernando Quintero put the visitors ahead in the 31st minute, scoring directly from a free kick taken from the left edge of the penalty area.

Uruguay bounced back in the second half, equalizing in the 57th minute due to an unfortunate own goal by Colombian defender Davinson Sánchez.

The tension reached its peak in injury time. In a dramatic sequence, André Gomez found the net for Colombia in the 96th minute, bringing the score to 2-2. However, the joy for Colombia was short-lived as Manuel Ugarte clinched the victory for Uruguay with a decisive shot from the edge of the box just four minutes later.

Later on Friday, Peru was set to face Chile in a match hosted in Lima.

After a surprise defeat against Paraguay on Thursday, where Argentina lost 2-1, it still maintained its top position in the 10-team South American round-robin qualifying with 22 points after 11 games.

Uruguay and Colombia now trail Argentina by three points, while Brazil sits in fourth place with 17 points following a 1-1 draw against Venezuela.

Additionally, on Thursday, Ecuador achieved a resounding 4-0 victory over Bolivia, placing them in fifth with 16 points in the standings, while Bolivia remains in eighth with just 12 points.