He Monumental It was filled with about 85 thousand people who went out of their way to observe the world champion and his genius. However, the crowd was caught in silence. Argentina searched, but he couldn’t find any gaps. Ecuador, with intelligence, fought back. There were only 12 minutes left for the epilogue and zero to zero was not broken. Until there was a foul against Lautaro Martinez very close to the place. And silence was heard more and more. because Lionel Messi fixed the ball. Everyone felt that the time for collecting was coming.
There was no case in the barrier formed by some Ecuadorians, where one of them drew a classic crocodile to avoid a low shot. The 10th released his left foot with total sensitivity, above that yellow wall. Hernán Galíndez, the Argentine goalkeeper who became a nationalized Ecuadorian, thought about flying, but when he checked what the path of the shot would be, he resigned, stopped and barely watched as the ball went to the middle of the tall, near right. post. A pleasure.
Messi once again made the difference. And his production is not overwhelming. However, in a match with few goal situations, where Argentina lacked clarity, Leo was the most worried. The one that took a left foot shot just wide in the first half. Attempting another low shot in the second was adequately blocked by Galíndez.
Beyond the number 10’s build, the albiceleste only came close with a touch from Lautaro Martínez hitting the post, with a whip from Nicolás Tagliafico breaking the crossbar and, finally, with a right hand from Rodrigo De Paul who was saved by Galindez.
Argentina, eventually with Lautaro starting and Nico González starting instead of Angel Di María, played with the utmost seriousness. He’s always looking, he always wants to be the hero, he’s in control of the situation. Of course, it lacks clarity in construction. This time Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister did not shine in the middle. And as a defense, the work of Cristian Romero was enjoyed. “Cutiiii, Cutiii, Cutiii”, the crowd stood up to some surprising cuts from the Tottenham central marker, who immediately unleashed an attack with a captivating personality.
Ecuador finished second in the previous Qualifiers and played a good World Cup, which made it difficult for the Netherlands, for example. Now with the Spaniard Félix Sánchez Bas he has configured himself in a closed, orderly 5-3-2, betting on avoiding surprises and thinking about hitting the mark with the appearance of Enner Valencia or Moisés Caicedo, for which Chelsea paid 140 million euros. The offensive plan did not go through. The defense crumbles near the epilogue.
Argentina is still celebrating, but it has started the road to the 2026 World Cup with the same profile that propelled it to glory. And with Messi like Messi, even if he asked to leave with three minutes to go. On Tuesday they will play against Bolivia in La Paz. The world champion will go for more, of course.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
