Colombia overrun Venezuela with three first-half goals

BARRANQUILLA (Reuters) - Colombia scored three goals in a superb first half to beat Venezuela 3-0 and get their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to an impressive start at home in Barranquilla.

Venezuela are the only side in South America never to have reached the World Cup finals and they showed why in a disastrous opening 45 minutes at a fan-free stadium on Colombia’s coast.

Duvan Zapata put the home side 1-0 up after 16 minutes when he slid in and finished off a delicious low cross from Juan Cuadrado.

His Atalanta teammate Luis Muriel made it two nine minutes later when he scored with a first-time shot from 10 meters out.

Muriel then got Colombia’s third just seconds before the half time whistle, when he completed a rapid counterattack.

Colombia took their foot off the pedal in the second-half minutes but Venezuela could make no impact and neither side could add to the scoreline in a calmer second 45 minutes.

The top four teams in the 10-team South American group qualify automatically for the finals in Qatar in 2022 and the fifth-placed side will go into an inter-regional playoff.

Venezuela face Paraguay at home in their next game on Tuesday, while Colombia go to Santiago to play Chile the same day.

(Reporting by Andrew Downie in London; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)