Caracas/Quito - Brazil thrashed Venezuela 4-0 Sunday to get back on track in the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while Ecuador certified their recovery with a crucial 1-0 win Sunday over Chile. Paraguay remain the leaders at the half-way point in the qualifiers, with 20 points in nine matches. Brazil and Argentina follow with 16 points, while Chile have 13 points and Uruguay and Ecuador are on 12.
In South America's 10-team World Cup qualifiers, each side plays each of the other nine teams at home and away.
The top four win a place in the World Cup. The fifth-place team has a chance to advance if it wins a playoff against a representative of the North, Central American and Caribbean region.
Brazil cracked the game open in the sixth minute in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, with a powerful right-footed shot from Kaka to the top-right corner of the goal, which the Venezuelan keeper could have done more to contain.
A great long-distance effort from Robinho made things 2-0 just four minutes later, and Adriano scored a third goal in the 19th minute.
Robinho put the score at 4-0 in the 66th minute, while Brazil appeared to be pacing their game for much of the second half.
Brazil's undisputed individual talent never found a match in their very weak Venezuelan rivals.
In a friendly played in June in the United States, Venezuela - the only country in South America where football is not the most popular sport - humiliated Brazil 2-0 for their first-ever win against their neighbours, who hold a record five World Cups.
Sunday's result, and the fact that Brazilian stars stepped up to the challenge, may soothe Brazilian anger over the team's recent performances.
"With a devastating start, Brazil thrashes Venezuela and eases the tension," the Brazilian news agency Folha Online said in its headline.
Set to host Colombia on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's last two home games have seen Brazilian players booed and cheers for the visitors, as well as calls for the ouster of coach Carlos Dunga.
Venezuela, in turn, have now lost their last four games in the qualifiers and are ninth in the table with seven points. Peru also has seven points with a worse goal average.
At an altitude of 2,850 metres in Quito, Ecuador's Cristian Benitez made the most of a blunder by Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo in the 70th minute.
Chilean defender Ismael Fuentes had been sent off - possibly in an overly harsh decision - in the 18th minute, while Ecuador's Antonio Valencia would be sent off 15 minutes before the end of the game, and Chile's Gonzalo Jara saw the red card seven minutes later.
The Ecuadorians lost their first three games en route to South Africa, prompting the exit of coach Luis Fernando Suarez and his replacement by Sixto Vizuete. They have not dropped a game since, with three wins and three draws.
Sunday's win over Chile was particularly important because the Chileans are fourth in the qualifiers table. The win leaves Ecuador tied with Uruguay on 12 points, with a clear chance of reaching their third consecutive World Cup as the South American qualifiers reached the half-way mark.
On Saturday, Argentina defeated Uruguay 2-1 in Buenos Aires, and Paraguay beat Colombia 1-0 in Bogota, while Bolivia defeated Peru 3-0 at high altitude in La Paz.
The qualifiers continue Tuesday with Bolivia-Uruguay, followed by Wednesday's action with Paraguay-Peru, Chile-Argentina, Venezuela- Ecuador and Brazil-Colombia.
A break in the qualifying round will follow, with the next games to be played late March.
