Argentina defeated Ecuador 1-0 in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers thanks to a goal from a free kick by Lionel Messi.
*Scorer: Messi 78′.
The World Cup champion encountered numerous challenges playing against a team with a tough and well-organized background while on the Monumental home field.Ecuador’s pressuring strategy stopped Argentina from advancing the ball from home in the first half.Additionally, many times the hearts of Argentine supporters skipped a beat when the ball was lost in the defense or midfield.
In the second half, the home team displayed a new personality.Particularly once coach Lionel Scaloni sent aggressive players like Angel Di Maria or Julian Alvarez onto the field, they increased the pressure.Argentina was awarded a free kick 20 yards from the goal in the 78th minute.To the surprise of the goalkeeper Hernan Ismael Galindez, Messi kicked around the barrier, hitting the inside edge of the post and into the goal.
Messi has now scored 29 goals for Argentina in World Cup qualifying matches, tying former Barca teammate Luis Suarez for the record.The 36-year-old striker demonstrates that Argentina still needs his caliber at crucial moments after quitting European football and moving to the United States to play for Inter Miami.Argentina rose and took chances to defend against the opponent’s counterattacks, and Messi was the most significant difference between the two teams in the tug of war.
Ecuador performed admirably on the field of the world champion.The bright spot in the away team’s performance is midfielder Moises Caicedo, who this summer transferred from Brighton to Chelsea and became the record signing in English football.Up until the Argentine captain shined with a free-kick, Caicedo’s strong contesting and power assisted the team to keep Messi in check for the majority of the game.
Ecuador’s first official game following hiring Felix Sanchez, who served as the Qatar team’s coach from 2017 until 2022, as its new head coach. The team was brought together by the Spanish coach, who left his stamp. and restraint.Sanchez may, however, require more time to enhance Ecuador’s offensive prowess.The opposition team frequently had the chance to counterattack from a stronger position, but they were too hurried and were stopped by Argentina’s skilled defense
Apart from Messi’s goal, Argentina had a few chances but failed to take any of them.They had less direct access to Galindez’s goal in the first half.During extra time, Rodrigo De Paul crossed the ball to Lautaro Martinez, creating the most hazardous scenario.However, the Inter Milan striker’s touch caused the ball to strike the post and fly out
Ecuador was obliged to go up to try and get an equalizer after giving up a goal, opening up numerous openings at home.Argentina has the chance to defeat the opposition at this point.Di Maria had a chance to score after De Paul’s breakthrough, but he cushioned the ball wide of the goal post.Soon after, Di Maria paid De Paul back for the courtesy after the home team’s rhythmic transition.De Paul’s tight corner kick, nevertheless, was unable to beat Galindez
Argentina, however, moved to the top of the South American World Cup qualifying group despite the result being narrow.Together, they and Colombia, which defeated Venezuela 1-0, have three points.The next game will be played on the Bolivian field as a guest on September 12 by Messi and his colleagues.