The Voice News: It was a delightful morning for Bangladeshi football fans. Just at the break of dawn, they witnessed Brazil’s match, followed by Argentina’s game. There was uncertainty over whether Lionel Messi would take the field. Although he wasn’t in the starting lineup, Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni brought Messi on in the second half.
In Messi’s return match, Argentina secured victory. The Albiceleste continued their unstoppable run in the World Cup qualifiers by defeating Chile 1-0. The lone goal for Argentina came from Julián Álvarez in the 16th minute.
Messi had missed the matches against Uruguay and Brazil last March due to injury. Despite his absence, Argentina thrashed Brazil 4-1, which led to the sacking of Brazil’s coach Dorival Júnior. They also edged past Uruguay with a 1-0 win. With those two results, the reigning world champions secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup.
Now, the remaining matches in the qualifiers are just a formality. By defeating Chile, Argentina proved they are not willing to take any match lightly.
In the 57th minute of the match, Coach Scaloni brought Messi onto the field, replacing Nico Paz. By then, Argentina had already scored the winning goal. Chile, desperate to come back into the game, launched several promising shots on target in the latter part of the match. However, Emiliano Martínez stood tall as the vigilant guardian of Argentina’s goal, making some brilliant saves and ensuring the win for his side.
