Lionel Messi's Argentina have fought out a 1-1 draw in a South American World Cup qualifying match delayed for 30 minutes due to a wet pitch in the Venezuelan city of Maturin.

Argentina, who lead the 10-team round-robin competition, now have 19 points after nine matches.

Colombia (16 points) remain second after a shock 1-0 loss in Bolivia, while Brazil (13) moved up to fourth thanks to a last-gasp 2-1 away victory over Chile.

Off the back of a disappointing defeat to Paraguay, Brazil had to recover from a goal down as Eduardo Vargas put the locals in-front with a fine header in the second minute.

The Selecao managed to find the equaliser in added time before the break, when Igor Jesus nodded a towering header past the goalkeeper.

The visitors controlled the second half and found an 89th-minute winner with a fine effort by Luiz Henrique, who slotted a curling strike from the edge of the box to rescue the five-time World Cup champions.

"This shirt means a lot. It is a great feeling for us to wear it. We know what is happening, but we wanted to change it," said Henrique.

"Our fans can be sure we will fight always for this team ... we will play with passion."

Earlier on Friday (AEDT), defender Nicolas Otamendi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 13th minute, pushing the ball into the empty net after a mistake by goalkeeper Rafael Romo.

Salomon Rondon equalised in the 65th with a header for the only South American team yet to play in a World Cup.

"It was an ugly match. We couldn't even make two passes in a row, the ball stopped because of the water on the pitch,'' Messi said after the game.

"It is difficult to play in these conditions, the pitch did not help.''

Messi returned to the national team after missing the two previous rounds with ligament damage in his right ankle.

Venezuela's next match will be at Paraguay, who drew 0-0 in Ecuador, on Tuesday, the same day Argentina host Bolivia.

Colombia, the last unbeaten team in South American qualifying, were stunned in El Alto's Municipal Stadium, more than 4000m above sea level.

Bolivia moved into sixth place with 12 points after their first win in 21 years against the Colombians.

Miguel Terceros, also known as Miguelito, scored the winner in the 58th minute with a powerful shot after dribbling through two defenders.

Bolivia haven't qualified for a World Cup since the 1994 edition in the United States.

Colombia's next rivals will be the ninth-placed Chileans (five points).

Uruguay, third on 15 points, travel to last-placed Peru (three) on Saturday.

Ecuador (12) are fifth, ahead of Bolivia on goal difference. Paraguay, eighth, remain out of an automatic qualifying spot with 10 points.

The top six teams in the round-robin competition will secure automatic berths to the 2026 World Cup.

With Reuters.