How was the World Cup qualifier match?

Messi and his teammates will return to the field next Tuesday (17), at 11 pm (Brasilia time), in a match against Peru. The Paraguayan national team will play on the same day, at 7:30 pm, against Bolivia.

The best six South American teams qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup – There is also an additional rematch spot awarded to the seventh-placed team.

How was the game?

In the first half, it was only Argentina. Even without Messi, Scaloni’s side started the game all out, opening the scoring early and giving Paraguay plenty of work. In addition to being good in attack, the Albiceleste’s midfield and defense were also in very good shape.

The scoreline was a cheap 1-0, but it exposed Argentina’s lack of quality. Even with Paraguay pulling one back, goalkeeper Coronel had to work hard, and he was lucky, too. The Argentines had good chances to increase the score through Lautaro, Alvarez, Nico Gonzalez and De Paul – who hit the post with one of the shots.

Messi started on the bench, came on in the 7th minute of the second half and hit the post twice. After being absent for a while due to muscle pain, the Argentine star entered the match and showed his participation, but he did not find the net. However, he hit the post on two set pieces.