Argentina, missing their star player Lionel Messi, clinched a convincing 3-0 win against Bolivia on Tuesday in La Paz, maintaining their impressive start in South American World Cup qualifying.
Lionel Messi, who’s been quite busy with his club, Inter Miami, observed the match from the sidelines. He wasn’t even listed as a substitute due to fatigue following his winning goal in the previous match against Ecuador.
However, despite Messi’s absence, Argentina displayed formidable strength against Bolivia. They netted three goals, with Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Nicolas Gonzalez as the goal-scorers.
Chelsea midfielder Fernandez nearly added another goal to the tally with an impressive long-range strike, saved only by Bolivia’s keeper Guillermo Viscarra’s efforts.
Viscarra once again demonstrated his goalkeeping capabilities by blocking a near post shot from Julian Alvarez, who took advantage of a defensive lapse.
Argentina broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when Alvarez provided a well-placed assist to Angel Di Maria, whose low cross was brilliantly tapped in by Fernandez.
Bolivia’s challenge got even tougher when Roberto Fernandez received a red card for a reckless challenge on Cristian Romero.
Argentina continued their dominance into the second half, with Alvarez hitting the post in the 70th minute, and Viscarra staying busy, thwarting attempts from Rodrigo De Paul and Di Maria.
Fernandez sealed the victory with a precise left-footed shot seven minutes before the final whistle, capitalizing on the hesitant defending from the home side.
With this triumph in the bag, Argentina look ahead to their World Cup qualifying journey, while Messi gets some well-deserved rest. Meanwhile, other exciting matches are set to unfold later in the day, including Ecuador vs. Uruguay, Venezuela vs. Paraguay, Colombia vs. Chile, and Brazil vs. Peru.
