Santiago  - Venezuela drew 2-2 with Chile Saturday in Santiago to slow down the hosts' pace en route to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Arturo Vidal opened the score for Chile with a header just 10 minutes into the game. However, Giancarlo Maldonado equalized in the 33rd minute and Juan Manuel Rey made things 2-1 for Venezuela from a free kick just before half-time. Rodrigo Millar rescued a valuable point for Chile in the 53rd minute.

Chile now has 27 points in 16 matches and needs at most three points in the last three qualifiers to secure a place in South Africa. (dpa)