A late penalty from Darwin Nunez earned Uruguay a hard-fought 2-2 draw against 10-man Colombia in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay were behind in the first half after James Rodrigez's shot from Rafael Santos Borre's cross in the 35th minute. However, they equalised just after halftime with Mathias Olivera's header from a corner.

Colombia retook the lead five minutes later thanks to a Mateus Uribe strike from another Borre cross. But they were denied a win when goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was sent off in the 87th minute after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Maximiliano Araujo, giving away a penalty.

Alvaro Montero came on for winger Jhon Arias and replaced Vargas in the net, but was unable to stop Nunez's spot kick.

Colombia and Uruguay remain third and fourth in the standings of CONMEBOL's qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Bolivia face Ecuador, Argentina host Paraguay, Chile take on Peru and Brazil face Venezuela later on Thursday. REUTERS