La Paz - Ecuador obtained a vital 3-1 win against Bolivia Wednesday in La Paz to keep up their hopes of playing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Edison Mendez put the visitors ahead just four minutes into the game, while Luis Valencia scored a brace for Ecuador in the 46th and 56th minutes. Gerardo Yacerotte scored the lone goal for Bolivia in the 86th minute.

"We were able to play for a win, and now we can keep dreaming," Mendez said after the game.

Fans in La Paz showed their displeasure with their team, and cheered Ecuador's play with "ole."

In a very tight edition of South America's World Cup qualifiers, only Brazil have already secured a berth in South Africa.

The first four teams will directly get a place in the global tournament. The fifth-placed team will clash with a team from North or Central America or the Caribbean in a play-off, with the winner advancing to the World Cup.

Ecuador now have 23 points from 16 games and are in fourth place. However, they could yet be overtaken by Argentina, which were set to play later Wednesday. dpa