Chicago Fire FC midfielder Gastón Giménez was back in the starting lineup for the Paraguay Men's National team in a 0-0 CONMEBOL 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw against Uruguay on Thursday.
From Uruguay's Estadio Centenario, Giménez went the distance for head coach Eduardo Berizzo and helped Paraguay secure a vital road point towards regional qualification. The appearance was Giménez's fifth for Paraguay since being called up to represent the country for the first time in October of 2020.
The scoreless draw keeps Paraguay and Uruguay deadlocked on seven points apiece through five matches played in the 10-team CONMEBOL standings. Paraguay remains in fourth place following the result, ahead of fifth-place Uruguay on goal differential.
The top four teams in the standings at the completion of the region's 18 rounds will qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The fifth-place team will enter the inter-confederation playoffs, where they'll compete against representatives from CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation, and the Oceania Football Confederation for one of two remaining qualification spots.
Paraguay will continue their qualifying campaign in South America when they host Brazil on Tuesday, June 8 at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco (7:30 p.m. CT) in Asuncion.
