Jefferson Moreno scored twice as Ecuador piled on three goals in the second half in a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Tuesday in South American World Cup qualifying.
Luis Caballero gave Paraguay a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute but Ecuador answered with Felipe Caicedo's header in the 37th. Moreno's pair of goals gave the hosts a 3-1 lead before Christian Benitez rounded off the scoring.
Ecuador improved to 20 points in 10 matches and is among the leaders in continental qualifying with Argentina and Colombia.
Paraguay has only 8 points in 11 matches and is unlikely to advance.
The top four in the group qualify automatically for Brazil, with the fifth-place team going into an intercontinental playoff. Brazil qualifies automatically as host.
Venezuela remained in contention for its first ever World Cup appearance after beating Colombia 1-0 in South American qualifying Tuesday.
Jose Salomon Rondon scored the lone goal of the match in the 14th minute to give Venezuela fifth spot in the qualifying standings. Rondon gathered a Juan Arango pass and beat Colombia defender Luis Amaranto Perea before finding the net.
Venezuela now has with 15 points from 11 games, the same as Chile, which has a better goal difference. Colombia is third with 19 points, five below regional leader Argentina.
The top four South American teams qualify automatically for the World Cup, while the fifth-place team goes into an intercontinental playoff. Brazil qualifies automatically as host.
