03/26/26 09:19:00
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03/26 21:15 CDT Bolivia rallies past Suriname 2-1 to reach a 2026 World Cup
playoff final against Iraq
Bolivia rallies past Suriname 2-1 to reach a 2026 World Cup playoff final
against Iraq
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) --- 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 finished 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.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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