Argentina beat Ecuador 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America

With the presence of superstar Messi and other famous players playing at home, the Argentina team is highly appreciated and it is not surprising that they are the team that holds the ball a lot, takes the initiative, Ecuador chooses a solid defensive style and waits for counter-attack opportunities.

The first dangerous chance fell to the reigning world champions when in the 16th minute Argentina attacked on the left flank and Lautaro passed the ball to Mac Allister, calmly passing it back to the second line. Lautaro was there but he cleverly left space for Messi to run up from behind and shoot, but his left-footed shot went wide of the Ecuadorian goal.

In the following minutes, Ecuadorian players continuously pressed, making it difficult for the goalkeeper and defense of the Argentine team to attack the ball. They also had a few attacks towards Argentina's goal but were ineffective.

In the remaining minutes of the first half, Argentina continued to be the attacking team, while Ecuador organized a tight defense. The most notable situation occurred in the 45+2 minute. Argentina attacked the right wing, De Paul crossed the ball early and the ball reached striker Lautaro. The Inter Milan striker touched the ball but it bounced up and hit the post. This was also the last dangerous situation of the first half, the two teams left the field with a score of 0-0.

Entering the second half, the Argentine team continued to dominate the game and had attacks towards the opponent's goal, while the Ecuador team continued to organize a solid defense and waited for counter-attack opportunities. The match gradually passed into the final minutes, and the two teams regrettably missed opportunities one after another.

But in the 78th minute of the match, the Argentina team was awarded a direct free kick with a distance of 21m from the goal and superstar Messi was the one to take the free kick. Messi kicked the ball around the wall, touched the inside edge of the post into the net, surprising Ecuadorian goalkeeper Hernan Ismael Galindez. The score was 1-0 for the Argentina team.

After conceding, Ecuador had to push forward to find an equalizer and left a lot of space at home. This was an opportunity for Argentina to finish off their opponents. From De Paul's breakthrough, Di Maria had a chance to shoot in the penalty area but missed the post. Not long after, Di Maria returned the favor to De Paul after a smooth transition from the home team. However, De Paul's shot from a tight angle could not beat Galindez.

But the 1-0 result was still enough for Argentina to take the lead in the South American World Cup qualifiers. They have the same three points as Colombia, who defeated Venezuela 1-0. On September 12, Messi and his teammates will play their next match away to Bolivia. With the only goal against Ecuador in this match, Messi also has 29 goals in the World Cup qualifiers./.

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