Messi played half the match, Argentina easily beat Paraguay

Argentina 1-0 Paraguay

Argentina hosted Paraguay at home in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. Against a weaker opponent who was not in good form after changing the head coach, the reigning world champions achieved their goal of winning 3 points.

Lionel Messi did not start due to his recent recovery from injury. The striker was only brought on in the 53rd minute and made his mark with two shots hitting the post from a corner kick and a free kick from outside the box.

However, the Argentina team still showed the quality of the reigning world champions in the overwhelming match. In the 3rd minute, Rodrigo de Paul crossed into the penalty area for Nicolas Otamendi to finish and open the score. The early goal helped the home team easily control the match. Coach Lionel Scaloni's team had a ball possession rate of up to 75% and created many opportunities.

The Argentina team completely controlled the game against Paraguay.

The central midfield duo Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandes did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game. All the attacks had to go through these two players. The next destination was the strikers on the attack line, especially winger Nicolo Gonzalez.

The Fiorentina player was given the ball in the first half. He constantly harassed and made good passes into the box. However, the Paraguayan defenders played focused to limit the chances and space for Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez to finish.

In the second half, the Paraguayan team pressed forward strongly. They used a fast and fierce style of play to create psychological pressure on the home team's players. However, classy midfielders like Fernandes or Mac Allister knew how to slow down the game, cutting off the excitement of the Paraguayan players.

Argentina attacked a lot but did not score more goals. However, the 1-0 victory was enough for Argentina to maintain their winning streak in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, competing for the top spot with Brazil.