Sao Paulo, Oct 13: Lionel Messi hit a post twice after he came off the bench but struggled to deliver a strong performance following his return from injury. Still, Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 in a South American World Cup qualifying match.
But Argentina’s biggest South American rival left the pitch to some jeers at Cuiabá, Brazil after the home side and Venezuela drew 1-1. The result put pressure on new Brazil coach Fernando Diniz and kept Argentina as the sole leaders of the round-robin competition with their third victory in three matches.
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.
Argentina leads South American World Cup qualifying with 9 points, followed by Brazil (7), Colombia (5), Uruguay (4), Chile (4), Venezuela (4), Ecuador (3), Paraguay (1), Peru (1), and Bolivia (0). All 10 teams will play the fourth round on Tuesday.The next round will offer the following matchups: Peru vs. Argentina, Uruguay vs. Brazil, Ecuador vs. Colombia, Paraguay vs. Bolivia and Venezuela vs. Chile.
The only goal of the match at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium came in the third minute after a corner kick that found Nicolás Otamendi free from marking in the penalty box. The defender smashed the ball into the net with a left-foot volley.
The 36-year-old Messi has felt muscular pains in his right leg that have sidelined him for several matches at his club Inter Miami. Coach Lionel Scaloni picked Nico Gonzalez as his replacement. The star substituted Julián Álvarez in the 52nd minute, when Argentina was 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 for Argentina fans shortly before the final whistle, but Messi’s shot hit the right post.
“I get very calm when we have Leo on the pitch,” midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said after the match. “We are at a very good level. We feel comfortable with the way we are playing,” he added. (AP)
