Argentina vs Venezuela, 5 Talking Points; FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifying

#2. Venezuela's footballing future is bright

Goalscorer Jhon Murillo celebrates with his teammates

Venezuela were abysmal this World Cup qualifying campaign - in the 14 matches before this week's action, they'd conceded 34 goals and scored just 17 (still two more than Argentina, that!) and had looked every bit the punching bags of the group.

In the last two games, though, coach Rafael Dudamel decided to rip it all up and give the youth of the nation a chance. And he decided to do this against Colombia and Argentina.

As Wuilker Farinez and Jhon Murillo, showed, that faith has been richly rewarded with some stellar performances individually but it's the collective effort that will please the coach the most. His side against Argentina had an average starting age of just 23 but those inexperienced bunch of players kept Argentina at bay - a bloodthirsty, cornered, Argentina - and nullified the effervescent Colombian attack.

Regular life may not be all that great back home in Venezuela as the nation struggles with widespread economic recession and a rather violent domestic strife, but Rafael Dudamel has ensured that his compatriots have at least a promising young football team to look forward to.

And isn't that what football is all about? Bringing hope where there is little... bringing joy where there is little... bringing life where there is little.

Viva Futbol!