Argentina without Messi wins at Uruguay, needs a draw with B
Argentina without Messi wins at Uruguay, needs a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup
Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from its direct spot in the tournament next year.
Argentina players celebrate defeating Uruguay during a
qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
MONTEVIDEO (URUGUAY) —
Argentina didn’t miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and other key players on
Friday and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American
World Cup qualifying match.
Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot
from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from
its direct spot in the tournament next year.
Argentina leads the round robin competition with 28 points
after 13 matches, and could secure its place with a home draw with Brazil on
Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of
7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition.
The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina
won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into
second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the
tournament once again.
Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and
Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 points, has the sixth position.
The top six teams will secure direct berths to the
tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team
among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an
international playoff.
No Messi, no problem
Argentina had to accommodate key absences beyond Messi.
Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul did not play in
Montevideo. So coach Lionel Scaloni gave a place to Giuliano Simeone in the
starting lineup, with Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada up front.
Uruguay, playing in a full Centenario Stadium against its
archrival, took the initiative and had the clearest chances in the first half.
But Argentina managed to hold its ground and started getting the better
opportunities after halftime.
Almada’s goal in the 68th minute, after Argentina had wasted
several other opportunities in front of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, still didn’t
push Uruguay forward as Marcelo Bielsa’s team finished the match with only four
shots on goal.
“I was a little anxious, very willing to play and to show
why I was making the squad,” said Almada, a world champion with Argentina in
2022. “Now we have to rest and wait for this match against Brazil, they will
rest one more day than us.”
Argentina’s Nico González will miss the match against
Brazil. He was sent off after a challenge against Nahitan Nández in injury
time.
Brazil has selection problems of its own for Tuesday’s match
at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium, as starting goalkeeper Alisson, defender
Gabriel Magalhães and midfielder Bruno Guimarães are all ineligible to play.
Argentina coach Scaloni celebrated his team’s performance
despite so many absences.
“We made a complete match, we absorbed the pressure. When we
had to play, we did it. And when we had to defend, we did it too,” Scaloni said
in a press conference. “I am happy not only for our win, but also for how the
team behaves.”
Uruguay will have a chance to recover against Bolivia on
Tuesday. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify
for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.
Valencia brace
Enner Valencia, Ecuador’s all-time top goal-scorer, added
another two to his tally on Friday.
The striker broke through the Venezuelan defense in the 39th
minute and scored with a powerful right-footed shot from an acute angle. In the
first minute of the second half, he added the second after a run on the left
flank ended in a classy poach over goalkeeper Rafael Romo.
Valencia could have had a third from the spot in the 69th
but he missed it.
Jhonder Cádiz scored for Venezuela in injury time.
Venezuela has not won for nine straight games and remains in
eighth place. The team still has a chance of qualifying for the first time in
history.
Ecuador started the competition with a three-point deficit
due to fielding Byron Castillo, who was actually Colombian and ineligible to
play in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Now it is close to returning to the
tournament in with a steady, confident squad.
Ecuador will travel to play 10th-placed Chile on Tuesday.
Venezuela will play host to 9th-placed Peru.
