World champions Argentina suffered a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay while rivals Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela as South America's big guns struggled in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying on Thursday.

Argentina and Brazil faced tough nights in World Cup qualifiers, with Argentina losing 2-1 to Paraguay and Brazil drawing 1-1 with Venezuela. Messi and Vinicius Júnior had challenging performances, affecting their teams' standings.

Venezuela held Brazil to a 1-1 draw with a second-half strike from Telasco Segovia in South American World Cup qualifying. Vinicius Junior missed a penalty. The Real Madrid player headlined the match but for the wrong reasons.

Brazil had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Venezuela after a quick-fire second-half strike by substitute Telasco Segovia canceled out Raphinha's opener for the dominant visitors in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

A second-half Vinicius Junior penalty miss saw Venezuela hold on to share the points with Brazil in Monagas. The two teams traded chances in the opening half of play, and were it not for some heroic defending and goalkeeping it could have been a high-scoring affair.

Brazil faced a 1-1 draw against Venezuela in the South American World Cup qualifiers. Raphinha scored for Brazil, but Venezuela equalized via Telasco Segovia. Vinicius Jr missed a penalty, and the match was intense with both teams having multiple goal attempts.

Brazil had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Venezuela after a quick-fire second-half strike by substitute Telasco Segovia canceled out Raphinha's opener for the dominant visitors in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

Vinicius Junior's costly penalty miss resulted in Brazil dropping points against Venezuela in the 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.

Vinicius Jr's Brazilian disappointment continued Thursday night, as the Real Madrid winger endured another forgettable showing in the Selecao's 1-1 draw with Venezuela in Conmebol World Cup qualifying.