World champions Argentina suffered a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying game on Thursday.
Argentina started well as Lautaro Martnez’s delivered an early goal in the 11th minute, awarded after a video review. Paraguay quickly leveled through a spectacular bicycle kick from Antonio Sanabria in the 19th minute. The hosts maintained their pressure, and just after halftime, Omar Alderete’s header in the 47th minute sealed the win for Paraguay.
Lionel Messi, who had limited involvement throughout the match, has a verbal spat with Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco over his decision not to send off Alderete for several aggressive tackles.
“We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled,” Martnez said. “We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong, but generally speaking, we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward.”
It was Argentina’s second loss in the last four games, but just the fifth loss overall in 69 matches for the reigning World Cup champions and back-to-back Copa America winners.
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Despite the loss, Argentina remains atop the South American qualifying table with 22 points from 11 matches. Paraguay’s victory boosted their World Cup hopes, moving them closer to the top five.
On the other hand, Brazil, too, had a disappointing night after 1-1 draw with host Venezuela in a World Cup qualifying match.
Vinicius Junior, who is yet to score in World Cup qualifying, had the chance to give Brazil the lead in the 67th minute after being awarded a penalty, but his low shot was saved by Venezuela’s goalkeeper Rafael Romo. Moments later, Vinicius missed a second chance after the rebound fell to him, firing wide.
Brazil dominated much of the first half, scoring a lead in the 43rd minute with Raphinha’s stunning free-kick. However, Venezuela responded in the second half, with Telasco Segovia equalizing just minutes after the restart in the 46th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box.
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The host suffered a major setback in the 89th minute when Alexander Gonzalez was sent off for striking both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius in the face. Despite the red card, Brazil couldn’t find a winner.
“When we don’t win, I leave the pitch a bit disappointed,” said Raphinha. “We deserved to win this one. But it is an important point playing away. We are working hard to win the next one at home.”
Brazil sits on the third place in the standings with 17 points.
