A second-half header by Omar Alderete and a well-calculated bicycle kick by Antonio Sanabria sink Argentina in a 2-1 game against Paraguay in Thursday’s South American World Cup qualifying match.
Argentina scored in the 11th minute, securing the team the lead after Enzo Fernandez’s gave a brilliant pass to Lautaro Martinez, whose early shot was ruled out because of offside but later confirmed as a goal after the referee did a VAR review.
Not long after the goal by Martinez, Paraguay responded with a header by Gustavo Gomez from a corner that struck the crossbar. The home side immediately picked up with a cross from Gustavo Velazquez, helping Sanabria score with a stunning overhead kick that left the goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez confused.
Argentina struggled to match up Paraguay’s energy, with skipper Lionel Messi unable to do much in the first half, hitting just a shot that went off target. Alderete committed two fouls against Lionel Messi, but the referee refused to issue him a warning yellow card.
Alderete scored a header from a free-kick after a foul that was committed by Julio Enciso that gave Paraguay the lead in the early time of the second half. Argentina were unable to convert their many chances to a win, including the late opportunity missed by Rodrigo de Paul as Paraguay protected their defense from being run over by the Argentina men.
Despite losing the game to Paraguay, Argentina remains at the top of the standings after securing 22 points from 11 matches and will play against Peru on Tuesday in the Argentina home.