Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Edson Castillo was again not included in the Venezuela squad as the South American nation beat Chile 3-0.
Castillo, 29, has been in fine form since his move to Chiefs in the off-season with four goals in his first 12 games in all competitions.
As a consequence, he received his first national team call-up since February 2022 after being brought in as a replacement for Jesus Bueno who stars for Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Philadelphia Union.
But head coach Fernando Batista opted not to include Castillo in his match-day squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Brazil, which ended 1-1 on Friday.
And he again left Castillo and four others out of the squad that faced Chile on Wednesday night.
Venezuela, though, came away with an important 3-0 win thanks to goals by Yeferson Soteldo, Salomon Rondon and Darwin Machis.
Castillo’s home country have climbed into fourth place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and will next face Ecuador and Peru in the upcoming November break.
Castillo will now return to South Africa, where his club Chiefs will face AmaZulu in the Carling Knockout Cup.