Striker Lautaro Martinez led the Argentine national team to victory over its Peruvian guest with a clean goal on Tuesday, in the 12th round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in football, while Brazil settled for a 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
Argentina, the holder of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, approached the finals after raising its score to 25 points in the lead, 5 ahead of Uruguay and 6 ahead of Ecuador, which won over Colombia 1-0 and holds the same balance of points (19).
The Argentine national team did not perform its best in the qualifiers against a team that was at the bottom of the joint group, winning only once and suffering 7 defeats, but a magical shot from the Italian Inter striker Martinez decided the result at the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires.
The Albiceleste players had 75% possession of the ball in the first half, but they failed to score the Peruvian net despite a ball shot by Julián Alvarez that bounced off the bottom of the post after a pass from captain Lionel Messi (22), while Alexis McAllister wasted more than one opportunity. .
Messi penetrated the defense and sent a cross from inside the penalty area, which Martinez met with a powerful shot on the fly, raising his scoring tally in his country’s national team jersey to 32 goals.
This is only the second victory for Argentina in the last 5 matches, after its last defeat to its host Paraguay 1-2 in the last round, its third loss in the qualifiers after Uruguay 0-2 and Colombia 1-2.
Messi and his teammates raised their positive score on their home field to 18 matches without losing in the last 19.
Brazil settles for a point
At Fonte Nova Stadium, the Brazilian team that won the World Cup title five times did not perform at the level hoped for and settled for a point that raised its score to 18, falling to fifth place after being overtaken by its counterpart Ecuador, who rose to third place by defeating Colombia in its home city.
Criticism returned to the “Samba Dancers” after it subsided following the two victories over Chile 2-1 and Peru 4-0, due to the lack of realism from the attacking duo and innovation from the midfield.
The hosts fell behind to a goal by Federico Valverde, the Spanish star of Real Madrid, in the 55th minute, after a powerful shot at the edge of the area deceived goalkeeper Ederson, but 7 minutes later, Flamengo midfielder Gerson equalized with a powerful shot from the outskirts of the area after he received a loose ball from the defence.
Arsenal’s English star, Gabriel Martinelli, almost gave Brazil the three points with a beautiful shot that was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Sergio Rochette, while Vinicius Junior remained goalless for the Seleção, as his last goal dates back to the Copa America competition in June.
-Ecuador with ten players defeats Colombia-
Ecuador, with ten players, surprised its host, Colombia, and defeated it with a clean goal scored by veteran striker Ener Valencia in the seventh minute after an individual effort in which he got past three defenders.
Ecuador completed the match with ten players after Piero Hincapie (34) was sent off.
For its part, after a strong start in the qualifiers, Venezuela fell to eighth place with 12 points, losing the direct qualification card (the first 6 teams qualify directly and the seventh goes into a play-off) after losing to Chile 2-4, which is in ninth place with 9 points.
The thirteenth round will be held in March 2025, with two fiery matches between Uruguay and Argentina, and Brazil with Colombia.
