Reigning world champions Argentina opted to rest star player Lionel Messi for their recent match against Bolivia in La Paz. The decision, however, did not hinder their success, as they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory against a 10-man Bolivian team.
The victory allows Argentina to maintain their perfect start to South America’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Messi, who has been busy with his club Inter Miami, took a break from action after showing fatigue after his crucial goal in the 1-0 win over Ecuador last Thursday. Instead of taking the field, he watched the match from the bench and was not included in the substitute list.
Despite missing their talisman, Argentina put on a dominant performance, showing their attacking prowess. Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Nicolas Gonzalez found the back of the net to give their team the win.
Chelsea midfielder Fernandes came close to opening the scoring with a remarkable long-range effort that was on target, only to be denied by Bolivia goalkeeper, Guillermo Vizcarra. Viscarra’s nimble goalkeeping skills were once again put to the test as he thwarted a close post strike from Julian Alvarez, who took advantage of some defensive mistakes.
Argentina took the lead in the 31st minute when Angel Di Maria delivered an accurate cross, which was met by Fernandez, who made a good run into the box. Bolivia’s task became even more difficult eight minutes later when Roberto Fernandez was red-carded for a careless challenge on Cristian Romero.
At half-time, Argentina took a comfortable 2–0 lead, with Tagliafico’s header followed by Di Maria’s free-kick.
Argentina were in complete control in the second half, with Alvarez hitting the post in the 70th minute. Viscarra stayed busy, making crucial saves to deny efforts from Rodrigo De Paul and Di Maria.
Fernandes took advantage of a more hesitant defense from the home side to seal victory with a left-footed strike seven minutes from time.
Argentina’s impressive win set the tone for their World Cup qualifying journey, even in the absence of their star player. In other matches on Tuesday, Ecuador hosts Uruguay, Venezuela takes on Paraguay, Colombia takes on Chile and Brazil takes on Peru.
