Argentina 1-0 Paraguay: 5 talking points as Lionel Messi makes his return to international action | World Cup Qualifiers
Argentina secured a narrow 1-0 win over Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, October 13.
The hosts entered this game on the back of an incredible run of form. They secured victory in each of their last six games, scoring 17 goals and keeping clean sheets in each game. Lionel Scaloni went with a full-strength lineup for this contest as Lionel Messi started from the bench.
Paraguay, on the other hand, secured just one win in their last six outings, along with four defeats and a draw. Their last game was a 1-0 defeat against Venezuela in which Salomon Rondon scored a last-ditch penalty kick to win the game. Manager Daniel Oscar Garnero went with his strongest lineup.
Argentina began the game with a bang as they opened the scoring with just three minutes on the clock. Rodrigo de Paul's calculate delivery to the far post from a corner kick found Nicolas Otamendi, whose acrobatic kick put the hosts 1-0 up.
Paraguay had limited possession of the ball in the first half and could not trouble Emi Martinez in goal as both their attempts were off-target. The hosts led 1-0 at the half-time interval.
The second half saw Lionel Messi return to action as Julian Alvarez made way for Argentina's number 10 after 53 minutes. However, he could not make the desired impact.
Neither side did enough to create a real goalscoring chance in the second half as Paraguay fell to their fifth defeat in seven games.
On that note, let's take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5. Nicolas Otamendi scored a wonder goal in the third minute
Argentina began the game on an attacking note and won an early corner. Rodrigo de Paul stepped up to deliver the ball and floated it towards the far post.
Otamendi read the delivery perfectly and adjusted his body incredibly to fire a thunderous strike past Carlos Coronel in goal.
You can watch the goal below:
#4. Paraguay struggled to get a foothold in the game
Having conceded an early goal of that nature, Paraguay struggled to get back into the game mentally as they were pushed onto the back foot. They kept the ball for less than 25% of the time in either half, firing four attempts on goal. The visitors had to wait until the second half for their first attempt on target via Ramon Sosa.
Paraguay have now failed to score in five of their last seven games, including each of their last three games. In this period, they have scored just four goals as their woes in the final third continue.
#3. Lionel Messi returns to action as a second-half substitute
Having missed the better part of September due to a hamstring strain, Lionel Messi made his much-awaited return to action last week. He came on as a second-half substitute in Inter Miami's 1-0 defeat against Cincinnati as they were ruled out of playoff contention.
He made a similar appearance in tonight's game, replacing Julian Alvarez in the 53rd minute, much to the crowd's delight.
#2. Argentina were casual at times in the final third
Having scored with their second attempt in just the third minute of the game, Argentina were in dreamland as they put Paraguay on the back foot. However, they were a bit too casual in the final third at times.
With 75% possesion throughout the game, their attackers found their rhythm and created one chance after another. However, they had just four attempts on target despite taking 15 shots.
Lionel Messi could not make an impact in front of goal as none of his three shots were on target as La Albiceleste struggled to convert their chances.
#1. Emi Martinez extends his incredible run in goal
With yet another clean sheet, Emiliano Martinez has now made it seven consecutive clean sheets for Argentina since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In doing so, he achieved a national team record as he has not conceded a goal for 622 minutes of action.