Bolivia were pre-match favourites and wouldn’t let Suriname near the ball early on but came away from the opening quarter-hour with nothing to show for their possessional dominance. Nevertheless, La Verde’s superiority in possession nearly translated itself into the game’s opening goal after 22 minutes.
Given too much time and space to fire a rocket from outside the area, Roberto Fernandez’s effort stung the palms of Etienne Vaessen’s but the Surinamese shot-stopper somehow managed to redirect the strike around the post.
Vaessen’s smart stop almost proved crucial not long after, but despite not having a defender in sight, Joel Piroe inexplicably sent his one-on-one high and wide. If supporters in attendance thought the Leeds United striker would have broken the deadlock, they surely were sure that Myenty Abena’s close-range shot had.
However, to the astonishment of the Suriname defender, Guillermo Viscarra pulled off a stunning point-blank save to keep the game goalless on its way through to HT.
Nevertheless, Viscarra was helpless to prevent Suriname from taking the lead after only three minutes of the second half. A game of penalty area pinball ultimately benefited Liam van Gelderen, with the defender taking full advantage by instinctively poking the ball past Bolivia’s number one to ignite wild celebrations with his ecstatic teammates.
Needing to produce something from their locker to at the very least force ET, Bolivia called Vaessen into action again shortly after the hour mark, with Miguel Terceros firing a straight-forward effort straight into the Groningen goalkeeper’s gloves.
However, Terceros’ frustration would turn to jubilation in the 72nd minute as sub Moises Paniagua toe-poked the ball into the bottom corner. Remarkably, Bolivia turned the match on its head eight minutes later, as Abena’s clumsy foul on another substitute, Juan Godoy, allowed Terceros to subsequently convert the resulting penalty for the win.
The momentous victory means Bolivia are now only one step away from making their first appearance at a World Cup finals in over three decades after incidentally gracing the 1994 renewal of the competition in America.
On the other boot, Suriname will have to wait at least another four years to once again go in search of making their maiden arrival at the pinnacle of international football.