Argentina made its debut on Thursday in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup by beating Ecuador 1-0 at the Monumental de Ñunez in Buenos Aires (ARG), with Lionel Messi as its star. The star scored a beautiful free kick that led the Argentines to victory.
With the victory, the Hermanos become leaders of the Qualifiers, but they could lose further positions until the end of the first round, which ends on Friday. The world champions’ next match will be on Tuesday, against Bolivia, at 5pm (Brasilia time), at the Hernando Siles stadium.
Ecuador took the lead. Just like its opponents, the team could change its position with the other results of the round. The Ecuadorians will also return to the pitch on Tuesday, playing Uruguay at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium, starting at 6pm.
⚽ @Argentina 🇦🇷1 (Lionel #Messi) 🆚 #Ecuador 🇪🇨0
👉 End of the party!
🔜 The cast led by Lionel #Scaloni the next Mars will be measured sooner #Bolivia 🇧🇴 pic.twitter.com/AlcTsOTdEz
— 🇦🇷Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) September 8, 2023
The match between Argentina and Ecuador
Argentina started to create the best opportunities. In their traditional style, the world champions turned the ball over and found their wings at speed. The first dangerous shot came in the 15th minute, from Messi. The star receives it from Mac Allister on the edge of the area and tries first, but sends the ball to the right of the Ecuadorian goal.
Ecuador responded with Enner Valencia. The Internacional striker tries from the edge of the area. Easy for Martínez to fit in. The big chance of the first half came in injury time. In the 46th minute De Paul crossed in the middle of the area and Lautaro Martínez deflected it. The Ecuadorian goalkeeper sold himself on the move, but the ball exploded from the left post and went out.
The Argentines returned from the break even better. In the 12th minute Tagliafico receives the goal from Messi after a good collective play and releases a bomb that passes through and strips the post. Ecuador took advantage of Argentina’s advanced lines to launch dangerous counterattacks. Messi comes close to reaching the 21st minute. In an individual action, he manages to finish low into the left corner, forcing Galíndez to dirty his uniform.
In the 25th minute, Ecuador squandered their best chance after a counterattack from the left, which ended with a missed shot by Kevin Rodríguez. The scoring was opened in the 32nd minute. Lautaro Martínez was brought down on the edge of the area and Messi took the free kick. The number 10 passes the barrier perfectly and scores a great goal for Argentina.
Even though they won, Argentina continued to press and came close to extending their lead. In the 39th minute, Di María receives the ball from De Paul and could have arrived first, but he takes a while and ends up sending it to the right of the goal.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
