In the match 5 days ago, Argentina had to work very hard to defeat Ecuador. Lionel Messi scored the only goal of the match with an accurate free kick at the end of the match.
On the morning of September 13, Argentina had to play as a guest against Bolivia. The home team is much weaker than Argentina in terms of class, but they have a big advantage: Hernando Siles Stadium in the capital La Paz with thin air makes it difficult for away teams.
Marching to La Paz, Messi was not on the registration list. That makes the Inter Miami star unable to surpass Luis Suarez in the race to score the most goals in the South American World Cup qualifiers (both with 29 goals).
Despite the absence of captain Messi, Argentina still managed to deploy a completely dominant stance against Bolivia. Veteran Di Maria helped Argentina deploy a bright and always potentially dangerous attack thanks to his technical moves.
In the 31st minute, from Di Maria’s cross, Enzo Fernandez rushed in extremely quickly to score for the world champions. By the 39th minute, Bolivia was even more disadvantaged when Roberto Fernandez was disqualified.
With only 10 people left on the field, Bolivia focused entirely on defense and was somewhat demoralized. Just 3 minutes later, Argentina doubled the gap thanks to left-back Tagliafico.
Leading by 2 goals, Argentina proactively slowed down the pace in the second half. Bolivia tried very hard to push their team up, but their coordination pieces were easily caught by Argentina.
7 minutes before time expired, Nicolas Gonzalez scored a 3-0 victory for Argentina. With 6 points after 2 matches, Argentina temporarily surpassed Brazil to take the lead in the 2026 World Cup qualifying rankings in South America.
Squad:
Bolivia: Viscarra, Bejarano, Sagredo, Jusino, Fernandez, Quinteros, Ursino, Arrascaita, Vilamil, Brown, Abrego
Argentina: Emilano Martinez, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Molina, Romero, Di Maria, De Paul, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Gonzalez, Alvarez
Goals: Enzo Fernandez (31′), Tagliafico (42′), Gonzalez (83′)