MONTEVIDEO: Argentina edged to the brink of qualification for the 2026 World Cup on Friday after a superb strike from Thiago Almada earned them a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Montevideo.
The reigning world champions looked to be headed for a draw after a tense tussle against a Uruguay side who defeated the Argentinians 2-0 in Buenos Aires earlier in qualifying.
But Argentina grabbed all three points with a moment of magic that stunned Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.
Gathering the ball on the edge of the area, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder took a touch and uncorked a ferocious strike that flew into the top corner beyond the dive of Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
The only blemish for Argentina on an otherwise solid night's work came deep into stoppage time when Nicolas Gonzalez was dismissed after catching Uruguay defender Nahitan Nandez with a high boot in a rash challenge.
Nevertheless that late red card could not take the gloss off the evening for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who praised his team's response to losing Messi to injury.
'A complete match'
“How can I not be satisfied?” Scaloni said following the win. “Not just for the result -- but for how they gave it their all. The satisfaction comes from the fact that the team played a complete match.
“When one player is missing, another comes in (...) we have enough to go out onto the field calmly, but the team is there.”
The win means Argentina can become the first South American team to book their place at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a victory over arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
The world champions now lead the 10-team South American qualifying competition with 28 points from 13 games, leaving them six points ahead of Ecuador in second, with Brazil third on 21 points.
Uruguay are fourth in the standings with 20 points from 13 games, just ahead of fifth-placed Paraguay on goal difference.
Friday's victory ensures that Argentina can finish no worse than seventh place, meaning they are assured of at least a spot in an inter-confederation playoff.
The top six teams in the standings qualify automatically for the World Cup.
In Friday's other South American qualifier, Ecuador boosted their chances of reaching the finals with a 2-1 win over Venezuela.
Two goals from veteran striker Enner Valencia sealed the points for Ecuador, who are bidding to qualify for the World Cup for the fifth time in the nation's history.
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece saluted his team's performance but cautioned against complacency as they close in on a World Cup berth.
“When things are going well, like today when we’ve won three games in a row, we have to be cautious, calm, humble, and have a lot of discipline to continue growing in what’s coming up,“ Beccacece said.
