Without Lionel Messi, Argentina secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay in their World Cup qualifying match, thanks to a spectacular goal from Diego Almada.
On Saturday (March 22), Argentina faced Uruguay at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. Despite missing key players like Messi, Paulo Dybala, and Lautaro Martínez, the defending world champions took a significant step toward securing their spot in the 2026 World Cup. Now, they need just one more point, which they can achieve in their upcoming home clash against Brazil on Wednesday.
Uruguay controlled possession for much of the match, but Argentina grew into the game as time progressed. The first half ended goalless, but the deadlock was finally broken in the 68th minute when Almada unleashed a stunning long-range strike from outside the box, securing the crucial win for his team.
Tensions flared after the goal, leading to a heated altercation between both sides. The situation escalated further when Argentina’s González—who had come on as a substitute for Simeone—was shown a straight red card in the 69th minute for a rough foul on Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández.
With this win, Argentina continues to dominate the qualifiers, sitting at the top of the table with 28 points from 13 matches. Ecuador follows in second place with 22 points, Brazil is third with 21, and Uruguay holds the fourth spot with 20 points.
