Gustavo Costas stopped being coach of the Bolivian National Team

The Bolivian National Team has decided to no longer count on Gustavo Costas, due to his poor results in the first 4 dates of the 2026 Qualifiers. The Bolivian Football Federation would have informed the Argentine coach of his dismissal, according to journalist César Luis Merlo.

Gustavo Costas’ last game with Bolivia

Paraguay took a new breath on the South American road to the 2026 World Cup by beating bottom team Bolivia 1-0, this Tuesday in Asunción for the fourth round of the qualifiers.

The only goal of the match was scored by forward Antonio Sanabria, in the 69th minute.

La Albirroja, led by Argentine Daniel Garnero, finished with 10 men due to the injury of Tito Villalba in the 86th minute, a forward who had replaced another injured one, Ramón Sosa, who left with a sprain after 25 minutes of play.

“We had to win no matter what and we won. We want to do a lot of things and we are satisfied with what we did and that leaves me very calm,” said DT Garnero.

“Paraguay proposed, we were denied this result and we obtained the well-deserved prize that we came to look for,” he pointed out.

His colleague from Bolivia, the Argentine Gustavo Costas, said that he did not plan to resign despite the four defeats he has accumulated in a row and that keep those from the highlands at the bottom of the table.

“We are in a process, there is a generational change, we have many new kids. We know it’s going to cost us. We have to keep working and look for positive results. “We will recover,” he said optimistically.

– Failed options –

Bolivia, with difficulty, was able to contain the Guaraníes, who did well to open the scoring in the first half.

At 8 minutes, forward Adam Bareiro submitted Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra, but his shot was deflected by the goalkeeper.

The attacker Miguel Almirón scored a great goal, after an assist from Bareiro, but the Uruguayan referee Gustavo Tejera took an advanced position in the 31st minute.

At 39, Bolivian defender Diego Medina made a disqualifying foul on Paraguayan attacker Ramón Sosa, one of the best in the game up to that point. Sosa ended up with a sprained right foot when it got stuck between Medina’s legs.

The match judge and the VAR considered that there was no foul. The Talleres de Córdoba player was replaced by Tito Villalba.

– Viscarra and providence –

As soon as the game restarted in the second half, Espínola subdued Viscarra from 25 meters, who reacted with difficulty by sending the ball into the corner.

The highland team withstood the Guaraní siege with great order, discipline and patience in fishing for the contradictions of a team desperate to score and undertake the counterattack under the leadership of its star attacker Marcelo Moreno Martins.

Paraguay scored again in the 66th minute through Gabriel Avalos, who had just replaced Romero Gamarra, but the judge took the striker’s hand.

Coach Garnero had ordered the entry of forward Antonio Sanabria.

The latter was the architect of the Albirroja conquest, at 69 minutes, after an incursion and center from the left by Matías Espinoza that Miguel Almirón previously touched.

At 80, coach Costas, as a last resort, sent Adrías Céspedes, Víctor Abrego and Marcelo Suarez onto the field to put pressure on the locals, who were also left with 10 men in the 86th minute due to an injury to Villalba, who had replaced Sosa.

From optimism, the red-and-white team went into anxiety with an upright rival who went all out for a tie.

The referee added 6 additional minutes but the visitors could not take advantage of their numerical superiority to reach at least parity.