Argentina vs Venezuela Live Score and Commentary, FIFA World Cup qualifiers LIVE ARG vs VEN

PEEP! PEEEP! PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! ARGENTINA 1-1 VENEZUELA!

OH MY! OH MY! DRAMA ABOUNDS AS GRITTY VENEZUELA - WITH NOTHING TO PLAY FOR - HOLD ON TO WALK AWAY FROM BUENOS AIRES WITH THEIR HEADS HELD HIGH. SUPERB, SUPERB, DEFENSIVE DISPLAY, WITH A SPECIAL MENTION FOR GOALKEEPER WUILKER FARINEZ AND GOALSCORER JHON MURILLO.

ARGENTINA MEANWHILE WERE EQUAL PARTS ABYSMAL AND ATTRACTIVE - BUT IN SHORT, NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO MOVE UP THE WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION STANDINGS!

QUITE A SUPERB MATCH AS WE ARE ASSURED THAT THIS EDITION OF THE CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS WILL GO DOWN TO THE WIRE!

THAT'S ALL FROM ME, ANIRUDH MENON! THANK YOU FOR READING!

TOODLE-OOO

95' OH PASTORE! OH FARINEZ! MESSI PLAYS IN PASTORE WITH A SUBLIME BALL BUT FARINEZ DOES MAGNIFICENTLY TO COME OUT AND SMOTHER PASTORE BEFORE HE CAN GET HIS SHOT AWAY! THE CORNER IS THEN CAUGHT WELL BY THE GOALKEEPER!

94' MURILLO LEADS ANOTHER SUPERB COUNTER THAT FELTSCHER HOLDS UP AT THE CORNER FLAG! Before Otamendi does well to snap in and recover

93' OH ACUNA! THe left back gives away a silly foul in his frantic desire to get the ball back and Venezuela get a freekick in their own box that they take their own sweet time about it

92' AIY AIY! Josep Martinez sends the ball sailing into the cold Buenos Aires air... Argentina take their time with the goal kick as they pass the ball out and the crowd let their displeasure be known!

91' Martinez runs at Fazio before entering the box and getting a shot away but it's too weak. Banega then gives the ball in the middle of the park AND MURILLO IS AWAY. HE JINKS INSIDE AND DRAWS A FOUL OFF OTAMENDI! That's a yellow for the Man City man and a freekick in a lovely position for Venezuela

90' The corner is pure filth and Venezuela clear with contemptuous ease. Messi comes back and tries to play in Acosta on the right wing, but his ball is not much better than that corner.

89' Acosta turns Feltscher inside and out before overhitting his cross. Acuna recovers and it's a corner for the home team. Venezuela make their final change as the hard-working Cordova is taken off for an extra defender in Jose Manuel Velazquez

88' The freekick is wasted by Argentina, and Venezuela counter but Martinez and Murillo are not yet on the same wavelength and Argentina can pour men forward...

87' Messi wriggles away from Moreno near the centre circle... and Moreno stops him the same way you'd stop a runaway bull - by holding on to his (shirt)tail for dear life.

85' Banega floats out wide and tries to force something to happen. He runs into Garcia before feeding the ball to Messi. The Argentine captain tries to pick out Pastore's run into the box - but the ball has a bit too much oomph on it for the PSG man.

83' Villanueva tries another ambitious long ball but Martinez isn't up to scratch yet and the ball wafts aimlessly back into Argentine.. erm... feet.

82' Looks like it's a little more than cramps, though.. Rondon is down again - and he has to be taken off for Josef Martinez... who also takes the captain's armband from him.

81' OH MU! VILLANUEVA PICKS OUT RONDON WITH A SUBLIME BALL IN BEHIND FAZIO... The skipper shakes off his cramps and runs in before squaring a dangerous ball into the box - that Mascherano does superbly to clear

80' Rondon goes down with what looks like a bout of cramps, probably inspired by the fact that his team are keeping Argentina to a draw in Buenos Aires!

79' Messi, oh Messi. A beautiful body swerve sets him loose into the Venezuela third and he picks out Javier Pastore with a lovely ball that the PSG man completely wastes

77' First change for Venezuela as Santos (of La Liga's Alaves) comes on for Herrera. Garcia gets hassled and harried by Acuna all the way into his own box, but the Venezuelan right back does superbly to clear the ball from danger

76' OH BENEDETTO! The young debutante finds himself in a promising position after a supreme through ball from Leo Messi, but a loose touch ends up with the ball going out of touch

75' Argentina make their final substitution as Javier Pastore comes on for Mauro Icardi! ARGENTINA NEED GOALS AND ICARDI IS TAKEN OFF, WHILE AGUERO IS KEPT ON THE BENCH! If the score does not change in the next quarter of an hour, Jorge Sampaoli will have aa lot of explaining to do

74' The corner is dangerous looking but Farinez does well to punch it away... Messi puts it back in, but Banega's header back into the box is woefully directed. Acosta then has a pop at goal - but the shot flies over the bar

73' Argentina patiently pass the ball around the middle of the pack and the crowd makes their displeasure known. They finally move he ball forward and it's a corner for La Albiceleste.

72' Messi jinks away from three challenges before feeding Acuna - who is then bullied off the ball by Cordova. The Venezuelans have all put in a mighty shift today, it has to be said

71' THEY CANT! SALOMON RONDON ABSOLUTELY LEATHERED IT BUT THE ARGENTINE WALL HELD FIRM AND THE SCORE IS STILL 1-1!

70' OH MY! A similar run from Rondon, but this time he draws the foul and it's a free-kick in a central area about twenty yards away from goal. If Venezuela....

69' OHOHOH! ROMERO TO THE RESCUE! Rondon runs off the shoulder of Fazio and is almost onto a long ball but the Manchester United keeper does well to sweep up behind his defence and clear the ball

67' OH RONDON! Good kick, but easy for Romero and the keeper makes sure not to spill the Venezuelan skipper's shot back into the six yard box

66' Rondon is still causing trouble for Argentina's defence and his hold up play sees Venezuela win a throw-in in a decent position... from which Victor Garcia does superbly to lure a foul from Otamendi in a rather promising position.

65' Oh MESSI! Some of the things this man does. A simple touch is enough to get the hairs on the back of the neck standing as he kills a tough ball dead with his velvet-lined boots. He then embarks on a mazy dribble, but the sheer numbers the visitors have on him is a bit too much. even for him.

64' Messi plays in Icardi, but the Inter man's touch is a tad too heavy and Villanueva pounces on it. The ball is then pinged to Acosta who tries an audacious shot from a ludicrous angle - but Farinez isn't flustered

62' OOO! The mercurial (today) Dybala is taken off for Benedetto to get a debut. No pressure, senor. What must Sergio Aguero be feeling right now, eh?

WHAT A DECISION! On replays it looks like the defender might have gotten the ball first. A 50-50 call, that, and the benefit of the doubt ought always to go for the defender. So, as you were...

61' OH HO! CONTROVERSY! ICARDI IS TRIPPED UP BY CHANCELLOR AS HE RAN THROUGH ON GOAL! IT LOOKED LIKE A CLEAR PENALTY!!! BUT THE REF WAVES PLAY ON!

60' Messi tries a long-ish one-two with Dybala but the two aren't quite on the same wavelength... that and the stubbornness of Feltscher keeps the great man at bay

59' Acuna skins Garcia again but his whipped ball in is well cut out by Chancellor - that was an important intervention as Icardi was lurking right behind him

58' The problem with Venezuelan corners, though, is that the moment they commit numbers forward, they leave acres of space behind them for the counter - Argentina try another quick one but this time Moreno does superbly to tame Dybala and hoick the ball away

57' Venezuela counter through the belligerence of Salomon Randon and he does superbly well to win a corner off the combined presence of Fazio and Mascherano.

55' OH DYBAAAAAAALA! OH FARINEZ! Paulo Dybala plays a neat one-two with Messi, skips inside onto his left foot and lets fly with a wicked, swerving shot that is somehow kept at bay by Farinez.

WHAT A TIME TO GET YOUR FIRST INTERNATIONAL GOAL! Acuna outpaces Garcia and send in a delicious ball into the box that had Mauro Icardi's name written all over it. He doesn't miss those.

ARGENTINA ARE LEVEL!

54' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! ICARDI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

52' The monumental has slipped into a deathly silence; as it stands, Argentina are out of the qualifying positions... Argentina rally forward with Dybala and his ball reaches Dybala - but under pressure from Chancellor he tries a fancy backheel that trickles into Farinez's hands.

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOOD LORD! VENEZUELA COUNTER SUPERBLY AND AS RONDON GETS THE BALL INTO THE ARGENTINE HALF, IT'S 3 v 1 and the captain picks out an entirely free Jhon Murillo... the forward takes one touch, looks up, and smashes it into the back of the net.

VENEZUELA LEAD IN ARGENTINA!

49' GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! MURILLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

48' Banega dawdles on the ball near the centre-circle and Murillo pounces on his complacency... Venezuela bomb forward, but Feltscher ends all that by diving into Acosta - that's yet another yellow card for Venezuela. That's five out of ten outfielders now.

47' This young Venezuelan side - average age 23, the TV commentator reliably informs us - is doing much, much better than the one that started this campaign all those moons ago. Things are looking up for Venezuelan football - especially in the goalkeeping department.

46' Acosta bombs up down that well-run right flank, but Swiss born Rolf Feltscher does well to win a goalkick.

PEEEEEEP! WE'RE OFF AGAIN!

The Venezuela team trot on to the pitch for the second half and are accompanied by loud boos and a chorus of whistles. Music to their ears, that.

PEEP! PEEP! ARGENTINA 0- VENEZUELA!

19-year-old Wuilker Farinez stands between mighty Argentina and some much-sought after relief in a lacklustre World Cup qualification campaign, and damn is the lad up to it.

The young goalkeeper's saves have frustrated a dominant Argentina... Sampaoli will want to ensure that his men don't drop the tempo in the coming 45... it could be make-or-break for them!

47' OH MESSI! OH FARINEZ! The Argentine captain let's fly with a vicious shot seemingly destined for the near corner before young Farinez pulls off an absolutely stunning save. Nothing comes off the corner.

46' into stoppage time of the first half, and Argentina still cant find a way in....