TOArgentina needed some time to digest the absences of Messi and Di Maria but recovered and achieved a clear 3-0 victory over Chile consolidating its leadership in the South American pre-World Cup, in which Bolivia revived with a 4-0 win over Venezuela in its new bastion at 4,150 meters above sea level.
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In their return to competition after winning the American Championship twice, the Albiceleste more than met the challenge of playing for the first time in a long time without their two historic figures, Messi and Di María.
Messi’s spirit was on display in Argentina’s first goal: several short passes in attack culminated in a precise shot from midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the 48th minute. Forward Julián Alvarez increased the score in the 84th minute with a mid-range shot and Paulo Dybala closed the scoring at the end of the match (90+1).
“We were superior in the first 30 minutes, but the last (of the first half) were not good. In the first play of the second half the team came out with one more point in the game. We won well. The result is fair,” said the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni.
Di María was honoured at the Monumental after deciding to retire, concluding an epic career in the Albiceleste in its epilogue, like the 1-0 goal against Brazil in the final of the 2021 Copa América at the Maracaná.
Argentina leads the South American qualifiers with 18 points from seven games, followed by Uruguay (13) and Colombia (12), while Brazil is in an unprecedented sixth place, on the edge of the classification. On the other hand, Chile is in ninth place with 5 points, for the moment out of any chance of qualifying.
Bolivia decided to abandon La Paz (3,600 meters above sea level), where the Hernando Siles stadium no longer offered guarantees of invulnerability, until arriving for the first time in El Alto, its new stronghold, 550 meters higher up.
Coach Oscar Villegas’ strategy paid off and left Bolivia in the play-off zone for the World Cup qualifiers in North America with six points. Henry Vaca opened the scoring in the 13th minute and before the end of the first half Carmelo Algarañaz (45+5) increased the lead with a penalty.
Bolivia did not let Venezuela breathe and Miguel Terceros scored just after the start of the second half (46). Enzo Monteiro sealed the rout at the end (89).
An accessible qualifying system grants South America six direct berths and the seventh the possibility of a play-off with a team from another confederation. Venezuela, in fourth place with 9 points, maintains its chances of qualifying for a World Cup for the first time and thus no longer being the only South American team that has never been to a major tournament.
Qualifying table
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