Bolivia rallies past Suriname to reach World Cup playoff final against Iraq
Moises Paniagua and Miguel Terceros scored goals within a seven-minute span in the second half, and Bolivia rallied to beat Suriname 2-1 on Thursday to qualify for the final of the World Cup qualifying playoff against Iraq.
Liam Van Gelderen put Suriname ahead in the 48th minute but Paniagua tied the score at the 72nd and Terceros had the winning goal in the 79th minute for the Bolivians, who are aiming for their second World Cup appearance.
“I want to highlight the players’ character in never giving up; it’s a team that never considers anything lost and that today knew how to pull through,” said Bolivia’s coach Oscar Villegas.
The Bolivians have only previously played in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Suriname was looking to qualify for the first time. Bolivia, which finished in seventh place in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, will play Iraq next Tuesday in Monterrey. The winner will qualify for Group I with France, Norway and Senegal.
Later, in Guadalajara, Mexico, Jamaica played New Caledonia in the other playoff and the winner will face Congo, 48th in the FIFA world rankings. Congo qualified for the playoff by defeating Nigeria in an African playoff.
The winner in Guadalajara will play in Group K in the tournament to join Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
