Lionel Messi struck the post twice after coming off the bench, showing signs of struggling in his performance following his return from injury. Nevertheless, Argentina secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay on Thursday in a South American World Cup qualifying match. The World Cup champions have now notched their third consecutive win in this round-robin competition.
The sole goal of the match occurred in the third minute following a corner kick that located Nicolás Otamendi unmarked in the penalty area. The defender swiftly volleyed the ball into the net with his left foot.
Lionel Messi, who is 36 years old, had been experiencing muscular discomfort in his right leg, causing him to miss several matches with his club, Inter Miami. Coach Lionel Scaloni opted for Nico Gonzalez as his replacement. Messi entered the match in the 52nd minute, with Argentina already in the lead.
Messi hit the post in a corner kick he took 10 minutes after stepping on the pitch of the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium in Buenos Aires, but his other efforts to dribble and give deep passes fell flat.
A free kick from the same spot where he scored the winner against Ecuador in September raised hopes of Argentina fans shortly before the final whistle, but Messi’s shot hit the right post.
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The absence of Argentina’s captain in the first half led Scaloni to chose an up-front duo with Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez for the match.
Paraguay’s new coach Daniel Garnero had his debut against Argentina, and his team gave little evidence of attacking power. The 54-year-old coach took over from Guillermo Barros Schelotto last month after the first two qualifiers.
Messi missed four MLS matches for his club plus the U.S. Open Cup final. He played 10 minutes on Saturday in Inter Miami’s 1-0 loss to Cincinnati. He also skipped Argentina’s 3-0 win at Bolivia in another World Cup qualifying match in September.
Argentina has nine points and Paraguay has one in South American World Cup qualifying.
The next World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is expanding to a 48-team format, meaning direct entry to the top six teams in South America. The seventh-place team will contest an intercontinental playoff for a berth.
Earlier on Thursday, Colombia and Uruguay drew 2-2. Veteran James Rodríguez opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute, and Matias Oliveira levelled shortly before the break.
Mateus Uribe put the Colombians back in front in the 52nd minute. Uruguay equalized from the spot with Darwin Núñez moments before the final whistle after being fouled by goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who was sent off.
Colombia has five points in three games and Uruguay has four.
Kendry Paéz scored for the visitors shortly before the break, and Rodrigo Ramallo equalized in the 83rd minute. Kevin Rodriguez gave Ecuador its first three points in qualifying.
Later on Thursday, Brazil will have a chance to join Argentina on the top of the standings with a win against Venezuela. Chile and Peru will also play.
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