Messi's junior scores, Argentina team holds ticket to World Cup 2026 in hand

On the morning of March 22 (Vietnam time), the Argentine team was without Messi, but had Thiago Almada, the player who scored the only goal to help Albiceleste defeat Uruguay 1-0 away, to secure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in hand.

Argentina only needs to win one more match to officially get a ticket to the 2026 World Cup

The Argentine team showed that the absence of captain Messi did not affect their strength. Coach Scaloni used emerging stars to play in the Albiceleste attack, such as Thiago Almada, for example, followed by Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez, who have grown up since the 2022 World Cup.

Julian Alvarez leads the attack of the Argentina national team

Photo: Reuters

Argentina's midfield strength remains the same with Enzo Fernandez and Mac Allister. Along with the experienced central defenders Otamendi and Cristian Romero, alongside veteran goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. This framework helps Albiceleste play very solidly, despite their captain, Messi, not being able to participate in this competition due to injury.

After a solid first half against a Uruguayan side that boasted some of the Premier League’s top stars such as Bentancur, Darwin Nunez and Federico Valverde (of Real Madrid), Scaloni’s side began to create some notable attacks in the second half, before Thiago Almada made the difference with a stunning opener in the 68th minute from outside the box.

Thiago Almada, who currently plays for Lyon (France), is considered a talented player next to Messi. He used to play in the MLS (USA) for Atlanta United, often facing his senior Messi, before moving to Botafogo and now coming to Lyon to take a new step in his career.

At the 2022 World Cup, Thiago Almada was part of the Argentina team, did not play any official matches, but still enjoyed full glory with the championship.

Thiago Almada scored the only goal for Argentina, ready to replace Messi in the future

Photo: Reuters

With the goal he just scored, and in Messi's absence, Thiago Almada has shown his remarkable progress, to gradually replace his senior in the future.

The win helped Argentina consolidate their top spot in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, with 28 points from 13 matches. They only need one more win to officially secure a ticket to the finals.

It would be perfect if Albiceleste completed this task four rounds early, by defeating their rival Brazil at 7am on March 26 (Vietnam time) at home in Buenos Aires, in the next match.

Brazil (21 points) dropped to third place because Ecuador (22 points, rising to second place) defeated Venezuela 2-1 on the same day, March 22. Uruguay, from second place, dropped to fourth place with 20 points after losing to Argentina. Next in line are Paraguay (also with 20 points, but with a worse goal difference), Colombia (19 points) and Bolivia, ranked 7th with 13 points, the Intercontinental play-off position.