World Cup qualification victory over Bolivia thanks to contributions from Angel Di Mar
Argentina anticipated difficulty due to La Paz’s high altitude. The path to repeat as World Cup champions looked much more daunting without Lionel Messi.
Even so, Argentina defeated Bolivia 3-0 on Tuesday in its second World Cup qualifying match.
The club, headed by veteran ngel Di Mara and a solid midfield, improved to 2-0 in qualifying matches under coach Lionel Scaloni.When Uruguay fell 2-1 in Ecuador, they missed out on a chance to tie for first place in the standings with Argentina. The Ecuadorians have returned to even after starting the tournament -3 due to FIFA’s deduction of three points for the alleged fabrication of birth information of Colombian-born defender Byron Castillo.
Later on Tuesday, Brazil, which had also won its initial game, was scheduled to play Peru.
In order to accommodate more teams, the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The top six South American teams will receive automatic qualification. The seventh-placed squad will compete in a playoff against a team from another continent.Argentina scored twice in the first half to set the tone for the game, and then put the pressure on and scored again in the dying minutes. Having Roberto Fernández, a player for Bolivia, sent off in the 39th minute also helped the Argentinians out.
In the 31st minute, Enzo Fernández scored the game’s first goal off a rebound off a low cross from Di Mara on the right. The veteran striker also had a hand in the second goal, which Nicolas Tagliafico scored by shouldering in off a free kιck in the 42nd minute.
In the 83rd minute, Nico Gonzálеz scored Argentina’s third on a cross shot from the edge of the box that went just to the right of goalkeeper Billy Viscarra.
Messi watched the goals from the bench as Argentina was beaten 6-1 by the home team 14 years ago.
“The altitude is psychological,” Di Mara told reporters after his side won.
The World Cup champs didn’t even have Messi, who is now 36 years old and plays for Inter Miami, on the bench. In Argentina’s first competitive international since winning the World Cup in December, he scored on a free kιck last week to seal a 1-0 victory over Ecuador at home.
“He was not up to playing… he did not feel comfortable,” Scaloni explained. We played it safe.
Many Bolivians, especially the hundreds of supporters who showed up to welcome Messi to the country on Sunday night, were unhappy when he did not show up.
ia and Enzo Fernandez
