:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/LPFZURWZFBFNFF5VGGJYARB2FY.jpg "Messi: This is Argentina’s world champion team with the captain on the bench | Playoffs 2026 | RA | Sports Total")
In 2022, Argentina touched the sky in Qatar and today in La Paz it was very close. In Bolivia’s administrative capital, 3,625 meters above sea level, Lionel Scaloni’s team defeated the local team 3-0, demonstrating values that can be presented in dressing room conversations and even advertising slogans: intelligence, strategy and strength.
The news before the game was the absence of Messi, who was on the bench but only in a civilian capacity, another teammate who supports the team when not on the roster. Of course, the iconic “10” on and off the pitch – who became the center of public expressions of love and admiration from Bolivian fans – is also part of the analysis, in which a question arises almost by default. :Can the Argentines do it? Can a team be a great team without its best people?
On a sunny afternoon at the Hernando Siles Stadium, Argentinian players kicked the ball not just with their feet but also with their heads, invoking the Cruyffian maxim that when you have the ball, It’s hard for them to hurt you. So, with 60% of possession and 481 passes, today’s team led by Ángel Di María opened the scoring on the half hour mark through Enzo Fernández. ·Enzo Fernández disguised himself as the No. 9 player and took advantage of “Noodles”‘s wonderful pass. After 12 minutes, with Bolivia’s morale and numbers declining after Roberto Fernandez was sent off, Nicolás Tagliafico once again shouldered and headed Di Maria’s cross to set up a second goal. , and told everyone that without Messi, there would be nothing to do.
In this way, Scaloni remains undefeated in the Bolivian highland section since 2005, as a player he has also won under the command of Nestor Pekerman, and in 2020 he has already won as The coach of a White Celeste team, began to build a dream championship and successfully achieved victory.
Despite only repeating three of the names from the previous round in La Paz (De Paul, Otamendi and Tagliafico), this “inexperienced youngster” has now become one of those players who played as a rookie The patron saint and master of morale-boosting, has managed to maintain a pool of players with unusual ideas for national team level that are easier to identify at club level. Although the basic template remains very similar, with an organic adhesion along the way and absences this time around that don’t necessarily compare to the previous time, the ideology remains and even acquires a philosophy of its own. A belief system that is matched by outstanding talent and preparation.
In the second half, the plan barely changed. With great concentration, the Argentinian showed unusual patience and precision under the conditions of the game. Finally, with seven minutes remaining, Nico González, who was not playing in the World Cup, ended the game with a powerful left foot that beat Guillermo Viscarra. , a game that will surely be dissected by news networks and YouTubers on duty for days.
The coach of the local team, Gustavo Costas, who twice won the Peruvian football championship with Alianza Lima, seemed to realize that with this height, they seemed to be more talented than their performance. Trusted allies didn’t allow the team to progress. Even 18-year-old youngster Alejandro Garnacho, who is now making his senior debut and looking as fly as ever at Old Trafford, is unaffected.
The world champions ended their first double date on a perfect note and began the road to 2026, bolstering a country’s hopes of continuing to see its biggest stars for as long as possible, but now, that’s It removes any doubts about what it can do. Occurs when he ceases to exist.
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