Venezuela vs. Argentina: Score, Reaction from World Cup 2018 Qualifier

Argentina overcame a 2-0 deficit to earn a 2-2 draw against Venezuela Tuesday night, surviving what would have been one of the biggest upsets to this point in 2018 World Cup qualifying. 

Nicolas Otamendi came through with the equalizing goal off a corner in the 83rd minute to help save one point for the short-handed squad.

Argentina were the top team in the CONMEBOL table entering the day with Venezuela sitting in dead last with just one point earned in seven matches. However, the match didn't go according to script in a rainy night in Merida.

Albicelestes were playing without a few of their biggest stars including Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero, and the impact was clear as they struggled to get much going offensively in the match.

Meanwhile, Venezuela responded with aggressive play and a pair of impressive goals from Juanpi Anor and Josef Martinez. It appeared as though this would be enough to pull off the shocking win, but goals by Lucas Pratto and Otamendi led the match to finish in a draw.

"We were much better in the second half, able to do more of what we wanted and because of it we were able to get the draw," Argentina manager Edgardo Buaza said after the match, per Mundo Albiceleste. "We wanted to win but we were losing 2-0 and the pitch wasn’t good. But at the very least we got something out of the great effort the team put in."

Daniel Edwards of Goal explained how this battle was a sign of the difficulty of coming through this competition:

With Uruguay winning earlier in the day, Argentina will lose its spot on top of the table while Venezuela will remain in last place.

Despite the struggles to this point in qualifying, Venezuela were confident at the start of the match and for the first half looked like the better team. The squad was aggressive near the net and earned more chances than its counterpart.

The home team was finally able to break through in the 35th minute on this impressive shot by Juanpi, via beIN Sports:

OptaJavier noted the player had attempted a shot like this a few times without success:

Argentina continued to struggle as the first half continued, although Rik Sharma of Bleacher Report pointed out things could be much worse:

With little offense to speak of, the favorites were forced to go into halftime with a 1-0 deficit.

In the second half, the rain that slowed the teams a bit early on had grown heavier. Venezuela used this to its advantage to earn the second goal of the match.

Martinez received a pass from Salomon Rondon and was patient enough to let the keeper fall, giving him a wide-open net to double his team's lead:

Argentina were finally able to get onto the scoresheet soon after on a 58th minute goal by Lucas Pratto. It required a fortunate bounce and a second opportunity, but it counted the same as he cut the lead to 2-1.

This seemed to fuel the visitors as they played with more energy to try to find the equalizer. They fell short on a handful of opportunities throughout the second half before finally breaking through on a corner kick in the 83rd minute.

Angel Di Maria drove a low corner into the box and Otamendi gave the perfect touch with his foot to even the score at 2-2:

Venezuela had an opportunity to regain the lead in the closing minutes but Mikel Villanueva hit the woodwork. A few more opportunities came up in stoppage time although no one was able to break the stalemate.

While the underdogs have to be impressed to earn a point in this match, they have to be disappointed from missing out on a chance at three points. The opposite is true for Argentina, which wanted more than a draw coming in but have to be happy to leave with anything.

What is also abundantly clear is this isn't the same team without Messi. The squad's top player scored the only goal of the recent win over Uruguay, but an injury kept him from competing Tuesday night.

"I don't know if I can be there. My groin hurts a lot," the elite forward explained last week, per Ole (via ESPN). "It is messed up and it could get worse. I always want to play, but the truth is that the season is just starting and there are a lot of important matches ahead of us. I'll see what the doctor says and go by how I feel."

The team will hope he and other top players will be fit by the time these teams return to international competition in a month. Argentina will start with a road match against Peru, followed by a home battle against Paraguay.

As for Venezuela, a road match against Uruguay and home match against Brazil represent one of the tougher stretches the squad will face in this entire competition.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.