Time's up! Argentina won a narrow victory over Chile, thereby continuing to lead the South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers rankings with 34 points, 10 points more than second-placed Ecuador. Chile continues to be at the bottom of the rankings with only 10 points after 15 matches.
The second half has 5 minutes of extra time. Argentina has moved to a 4-4-2 formation, Messi and Mastantuono have struggled for a second goal.
Minute 83: From Messi's pass, Simeone faced an empty goal, but he shot incredibly wide.
Minute 74: Lucas Cepeda had a very empty ball near the goal, but his volley sent the ball over the bar. The Chile team is creating great pressure.
Minute 64: Fabian Hormazabal sent the ball into the crossbar of the Argentina team.
Minute 63: An Argentine player cleared the ball, going to the right position of Javier Altamano, but he taped the ball too lightly.
Minute 57: Lionel Messi enters the field, receiving the captain's armband amid the cheers of Argentina fans.
Minute 46: The second half begins.
End of the first half. Argentina led Chile 1-0 after an overwhelming 45 minutes in all aspects.
Minute 44: Almada shoots with his left foot from the middle of the penalty area, but the ball goes a little bit.
Minute 42: After a combination with Almada, Giuliano Simeone shot from a tight angle, but could not get past goalkeeper cortes.
Minute 34: Giuliano Simeone received the ball and handled it technically, but his shot went over the bar.
Minute 24: The Argentina team is still in control, holding the ball on Chile's field and creating continuous pressure.
Minute 16: GOAL!!! From Thiago Almada's pass, Julian Alvarez escaped before defeating Chile's goalkeeper in a one-on-one. Argentina opened the score.
Minute 11: Argentina controlled the ball up to 70%, but did not create any chances.
Minute 3: Sanchez fired a dangerous shot after a delicate free kick, but goalkeeper Martinez made an excellent save.
08:00: The match begins.
Competition lineup
Pre-match information
With a resounding 4-1 victory over the biggest opponent Brazil in the previous round, Argentina has officially won a ticket to the 2026 World Cup 4 matches early. After 14 rounds, the reigning world champions have 31 points, 7 points more than the team immediately behind Ecuador.
Argentina is also the strongest attacking team in the tournament to date with 26 goals, and also the second best defense with 8 goals conceded, only behind Ecuador (5 goals).
In contrast to Argentina's sublimation is Chile's poor form. After failing to participate in the 2022 World Cup, the former South American football giant has yet to recover.
They have been eliminated early in major tournaments and the World Cup qualifiers are no exception. This team is also facing the risk of not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when it has only earned 10 points. They have the same number of points as Peru but are at the bottom of the rankings due to a loss in secondary index.
Chile is currently at the bottom of the table with only 2 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. With 21 goals conceded, they are the team with the worst defense in the league. Although their form has improved somewhat in recent times, in general, Chile is still far behind their opponent.
In the first leg, Argentina easily defeated Chile 3-0. It would be no surprise if Lionel Scaloni's side take all three points in the next match.
