MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguay beat Colombia 3-2 on Friday with a last-minute goal in South American World Cup qualifying, and eased the pressure on coach Marcelo Bielsa.
It was Uruguay's first home win in a year and its first victory overall since the latest Copa America edition in July.
Juan Fernando Quintero opened the scoring for the visitors in the 31st minute with a surprising direct free kick shot from the left edge of the penalty box. The hosts equalized in the 57th minute with an own goal by Davinson Sánchez.
Rodrigo Aguirre put the hosts in front three minutes later in front of 40,000 raucous fans with a crossed shot — his first national team goal.
The most dramatic moments of the match in Montevideo came in injury time. André Gomez equalized for Colombia in the 96th minute from close range, but Manuel Ugarte gave the hosts the victory four minutes later with a shot from the edge of the box.
Later, Peru and Chile drew 0-0 in Lima. They will remain at the bottom of the standings.
Bielsa has been under fire since October, when just-retired striker Luis Suárez criticized him f or the way he treated players during the Copa America, saying the ''friction'' hurts. Other Uruguay players did not defend their coach from the criticism, and Bielsa himself admitted his grasp over the team was shaken.
''I believe that wins like tonight's are healing,'' Bielsa said at a media conference. ''It was a thrilling match. It was evident that the players' willpower was needed for such a victory, though it looked impossible after an equalizer so late in the match. We needed this.''
