Argentina continues to work on its World Cup title in the South American qualifying tournaments. This time Scaloni’s men managed to score three more points along the way, beating Paraguay 1-0 with Lionel Messi on the bench. After days of uncertainty, the “Flea”, who had already recovered from an injury, was not present from kick-off as a precautionary measure, but is expected to be in the starting line-up against Peru next Tuesday at the National Stadium.
After a prepared corner, the goal was quickly scored after four minutes. Otamendi outdid everyone and equalized with a right volley. Argentina was not satisfied and continued to pressure the redhead, who never found the ball. The Albiceleste had further chances to extend the result, but missed them.
In the second half, Paraguay had an excellent chance to equalize, but the ball hit the Argentine post. The minutes passed and as the end drew closer, the urge to increase the score diminished. The smallest difference was enough for the three Albiceleste points.
With the win, Argentina adds nine points and remains at the top of qualifying with a perfect score, while Paraguay remains in sixth place by one.
In another qualifying match, Ecuador picked up three golden points by beating Bolivia 2-1 in La Paz. The “Tri” took the lead in the 44th minute with a goal from Kendry Páez, who was only 16 years old, Ramallo equalized in the 83rd minute and Kevin Rodríguez sealed everything in the 96th minute.