The Argentina team led by Messi suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Uruguay in the 2026 World Cup South American qualifiers on Thursday, setting a 14-game unbeaten record.
Despite the defeat on day five, Argentina leads the qualifying standings with 12 points, two ahead of second-placed Uruguay and three ahead of Colombia.
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Played in front of 57,000 fans at the Candy Box Stadium, Argentina did not find a way to overcome the pressure exerted by Uruguay and play their usual game with ease.
“We knew the game we were going to face and it was going to be difficult for us to play. We were never comfortable, we couldn’t keep the ball or keep it for long periods of time. They were intense, physical and played well on the counter-attack ,” Messi said after the defeat.
Around the 20th minute, there was a tense moment in the match between Argentina and Uruguay, after Argentina fouled Messi. The verbal exchange turned into a beating and argument that went viral.
What’s unusual about this moment is that Lionel Messi, He reacted as a captain and went out to defend his men with excessive force. Argentina’s ’10’ attacks winger Matias Oliveira.
The game was stopped and Uruguay took advantage of the chaos to go into halftime and take the lead against Argentina away from home.
Second half, coach Lionel Scaloni He brought in scorer Lautaro Martinez to replace a midfielder but was unable to improve the team’s offensive performance.
Argentina’s only clear chance came in the 56th minute, when Messi’s free kick hit the crossbar, and in the 83rd minute, Martinez’s header was blocked by Lochte.
The team takes the lead with its second goal In the 87th minute, Argentinian Marcelo Bielsa received a pass from De La Cruz and Nunez scored. and making long runs from his own half on the counterattack.
Argentina has never lost since losing 1-2 to Saudi Arabia in the first match of the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022, and the “White Celeste” team won in the end.
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