Brazil striker Ronaldo brushed aside his team's 1-0 shock loss to Ecuador in the South American World Cup qualifier on November 17, saying it's not "critical".

Argentina, who edged Venezuela 3-2 at home later on Wednesday, overtook Brazil at the top place with 22 points in the 10-nation South American qualifying group.

But the four-time world champion remains comfortably on course for a top-four finish and a berth in the 2006 finals in Germany.

Ronaldo, who played the full 90 minutes and wasted an excellent late chance to equalize, blamed the high altitude for his poor performance.

"I had a big headache, I was short of air and I needed oxygen to breathe," said the 28-year-old striker.

Brazilian head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira also defended his side.

"We knew this was one of our high-risk games. They improved in the second half. We lost the game, we didn't want to, but it happened," said Parreira, who was the head coach when Brazil won the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Source: Xinhua