Argentina vs Ecuador, 2026 World Cup Qualifying - CONMEBOL
· FIFA World Cup Qualifying - CONMEBOLMessi magic as Argentina beat Ecuador in World Cup qualifier
Lionel Messi's second-half goal gave Argentina a 1-0 home win over Ecuador on Thursday to get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign off on the right foot.
Match Commentary
- 0': Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
- 0': First Half begins.
- 1': Offside, Ecuador. José Hurtado tries a through ball, but Gonzalo Plata is caught offside.
- 2': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 2': Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 10': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 10': Lionel Messi (Argentina) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 10': Delay in match because of an injury Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 12': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 12': Foul by Lionel Messi (Argentina).
- 12': Pervis Estupiñán (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 16': Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Argentina) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.
- 18': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 18': Lionel Messi (Argentina) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 21': Foul by Enzo Fernández (Argentina).
- 21': Pervis Estupiñán (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 23': Foul by José Cifuentes (Ecuador).
- 23': Nicolás Tagliafico (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 25': Attempt saved. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Pervis Estupiñán.
- 28': Attempt blocked. Enzo Fernández (Argentina) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
- 28': Attempt blocked. Lautaro Martínez (Argentina) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nicolás González.
- 29': Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Willian Pacho.
- 30': Delay in match because of an injury Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador).
- 31': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 32': Foul by Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina).
- 32': Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 32': Corner, Ecuador. Conceded by Cristian Romero.
- 33': Attempt missed. Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Félix Torres following a corner.
- 36': Enner Valencia (Ecuador) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 36': Foul by Cristian Romero (Argentina).
- 37': Attempt missed. Willian Pacho (Ecuador) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Gonzalo Plata with a cross following a set piece situation.
- 42': Foul by Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina).
- 42': Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 45': Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Félix Torres.
- 45'+1': Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 45'+1': Foul by Willian Pacho (Ecuador).
- 45'+2': Lautaro Martínez (Argentina) hits the left post with a right footed shot from the centre of the box. Assisted by Rodrigo De Paul with a cross.
- 45'+3': First Half ends, Argentina 0, Ecuador 0.
- 45': Second Half begins Argentina 0, Ecuador 0.
- 47': Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Félix Torres.
- 50': Attempt missed. Enzo Fernández (Argentina) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Nicolás Tagliafico.
- 51': Enzo Fernández (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 51': Foul by José Cifuentes (Ecuador).
- 51': Offside, Argentina. Nicolás Otamendi tries a through ball, but Nahuel Molina is caught offside.
- 53': Foul by Willian Pacho (Ecuador).
- 53': Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 55': Attempt blocked. Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Nicolás González.
- 55': Attempt blocked. Cristian Romero (Argentina) right footed shot from very close range is blocked.
- 56': Hand ball by Lionel Messi (Argentina).
- 58': Nicolás Tagliafico (Argentina) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
- 59': Attempt blocked. Nicolás González (Argentina) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Enzo Fernández.
- 60': Corner, Ecuador. Conceded by Cristian Romero.
- 61': Foul by Félix Torres (Ecuador).
- 61': Nicolás Tagliafico (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 61': Foul by José Cifuentes (Ecuador).
- 61': Nicolás Tagliafico (Argentina) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 61': José Cifuentes (Ecuador) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 62': Substitution, Argentina. Ángel Di María replaces Nicolás González.
- 64': Foul by Nicolás Tagliafico (Argentina).
- 64': Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 67': Attempt saved. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Moisés Caicedo.
- 67': Substitution, Ecuador. Kevin Rodríguez replaces Gonzalo Plata.
- 68': Substitution, Ecuador. Joao Ortíz replaces José Cifuentes.
- 69': Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Argentina) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Rodrigo De Paul.
- 71': Attempt saved. Kevin Rodríguez (Ecuador) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Enner Valencia.
- 75': Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Willian Pacho.
- 76': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 76': Lautaro Martínez (Argentina) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 77': Substitution, Argentina. Leandro Paredes replaces Alexis Mac Allister.
- 77': Substitution, Argentina. Julián Álvarez replaces Lautaro Martínez.
- 78': Goal! Argentina 1, Ecuador 0. Lionel Messi (Argentina) from a free kick with a left footed shot to the top left corner.
- 79': Foul by Julián Álvarez (Argentina).
- 79': Robert Arboleda (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 80': Offside, Argentina. Julián Álvarez tries a through ball, but Lionel Messi is caught offside.
- 81': Substitution, Ecuador. Angelo Preciado replaces José Hurtado.
- 81': Substitution, Ecuador. Ángel Mena replaces Félix Torres.
- 82': Foul by Leandro Paredes (Argentina).
- 82': Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 82': Leandro Paredes (Argentina) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 85': Attempt missed. Ángel Di María (Argentina) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Rodrigo De Paul.
- 89': Substitution, Argentina. Exequiel Palacios replaces Lionel Messi.
- 89': Enzo Fernández (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 89': Foul by Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador).
- 90'+1': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 90'+1': Ángel Di María (Argentina) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 90'+3': Attempt saved. Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ángel Di María.
- 90'+3': Foul by Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador).
- 90'+3': Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 90'+4': Second Half ends, Argentina 1, Ecuador 0.
- 0': Match ends, Argentina 1, Ecuador 0.
Statistics
 ECU |
ARG |
|
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Fouls | 9 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 1 | Offsides | 2 |
| 2 | Corner Kicks | 4 |
| 2 | Saves | 3 |
| 29.2 | Possession | 70.8 |
| 5 | SHOTS | 13 |
| 3 | ON GOAL | 4 |
| 0.6 | On Target % | 0.3 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 213 | Accurate Passes | 620 |
| 294 | Passes | 710 |
| 0.7 | Pass Completion % | 0.9 |
| 2 | Accurate Crosses | 3 |
| 7 | Crosses | 15 |
| 0.3 | Cross % | 0.2 |
| 53 | Long Balls | 43 |
| 24 | Accurate Long Balls | 25 |
| 0.5 | Long Balls % | 0.6 |
| 0 | Blocked Shots | 4 |
| 12 | Effective Tackles | 17 |
| 22 | Tackles | 28 |
| 0.5 | Tackle % | 0.6 |
| 13 | Interceptions | 10 |
| 32 | Effective Clearances | 5 |
| 32 | Clearances | 5 |
Game Information
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying - CONMEBOL
Venue: Mâs Monumental
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Attendance: 82,500
Venue: Mâs Monumental
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Attendance: 82,500
WCQ - CONMEBOL Standings
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 16 | +19 | 35 |
| 2 | Ecuador | 16 | +8 | 25 |
| 3 | Brazil | 16 | +5 | 25 |
| 4 | Uruguay | 16 | +7 | 24 |
Line-Ups
Argentina (4-3-3)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 23 | Emiliano Martínez (GK) |
| 19 | Nicolás Otamendi |
| 13 | Cristian Romero |
| 3 | Nicolás Tagliafico |
| 21 | Nahuel Molina |
| 8 | Enzo Fernández |
| 20 | Alexis Mac Allister |
| 7 | Rodrigo De Paul |
| 22 | Lautaro Martínez |
| 15 | Nicolás González |
| 10 | Lionel Messi |
Ecuador (5-3-2)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hernán Galíndez (GK) |
| 4 | Robert Arboleda |
| 6 | Willian Pacho |
| 2 | Félix Torres |
| 7 | Pervis Estupiñán |
| 3 | José Hurtado |
| 8 | Carlos Gruezo |
| 23 | Moisés Caicedo |
| 5 | José Cifuentes  |
| 13 | Enner Valencia |
| 10 | Gonzalo Plata |
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