RIO DE JANEIRO: Juan Roman Riquelme converted two superb free kicks to give Argentina a 2-0 win over Chile at the start of South America's World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday.

Riquelme was upstaged, however, by Venezuela defender Jose Manuel Rey, who converted a free kick from an improbable position near the halfway line to give his side a 1-0 win in Ecuador.

Peru was held 0-0 at home by Paraguay and Uruguay demolished dispirited Bolivia 5-0 in the day's other games.

Brazil visits Colombia on Sunday to complete the first of 18 rounds of matches in the two-year competition in which the region's 10 teams play each other home and away.

Argentina coach Alfio Basile gambled on Riquelme, who has not played for his Spanish club Villarreal this season after falling out with coach Manuel Pellegrini.

In his first match since Argentina's 3-0 defeat by Brazil in the Copa America final in July, Riquelme repaid Basile in style at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires.

After Chile, whose coach Marcelo Bielsa was in charge of Argentina from 1998 to 2004, had made a bright start, Riquelme broke the deadlock by curling a 20-meter shot into the top right hand corner in the 27th minute.

Eighteen minutes later, he struck again by sending another shot into the same corner from a more difficult position.

Chile's hopes ended when defender Cristian Alvarez was sent off for crashing into Javier Mascherano nine minutes into the second half.

"People can think what they like about Riquelme. When I selected him, I knew he had been training well," said Basile.

"A player of his standard is not going to forget how to play football."

Rey's amazing effort in Quito handed Ecuador its first home defeat in more than six years, its last loss on its own soil having come against Argentina in August 2001. Taking a free kick near the center circle, Rey scored with a powerful, dipping shot which flew over startled Daniel Viteri and into the goal in the 67th minute.

It was the perfect start for Venezuela, the only team on the continent who has never played at the World Cup, and a huge setback for Ecuador, who is aiming for its third World Cup finals appearance in a row.

Uruguay's strikers had an outstanding day against Bolivia as Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan and Sebastian Abreu, who began the game in Montevideo, scored their first three goals.

Substitutes Vicente Sanchez and Carlos Bueno completed the rout.

Bolivia, arriving amid reports that the players were in a dispute over bonuses, had midfielder Ronald Garcia sent off in the 41st minute after being booked twice in six minutes.

In Lima, Peru and Paraguay produced a fast and furious match in which the visitors striker Oscar Cardozo missed two good chances on the break while Cristian Riveros had a goalbound shot inadvertently blocked by a teammate in stoppage-time.

Juan Vargas had Peru's best effort when he volleyed against the post.

Agencies

(China Daily 10/15/2007 page11)