Argentina are tied with Paraguay ... and the referee denies Messi the winning goal

Argentina wasted their first points in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, when they overturned their home away from Paraguay to a 1-1 draw, on Thursday in the third round in the South American region.

After defeating Ecuador with two poor results (1-0) and then Bolivia (2-1), Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, the best player in the world six times, faced a higher-level team that succeeded in snatching a tie point from the 1978 and 1986 world champions.

Despite the tie, Argentina made a convincing performance and was close to victory, had the VAR referee not interfered and Messi denied him the winning goal in the second half.

Argentina raised its score to 7 points from three games, and its lead is threatened, in the event that Brazil (6) beat Venezuela on Friday.

At the "La Bombonera" stadium in the capital, Buenos Aires, and without fans due to restrictions preventing the outbreak of the new Corona virus, Paraguay, the "heavy guest", got a penalty in the middle of the first half, after Lucas Martínez Quarta stood in the face of Miguel Almiron, translated by Angel Romero, the floor in the goal of Franco Armani (22), scoring his third goal in the qualifiers.

But the host, who was missed by strikers Sergio Agüero and Paulo Dybala, just before entering the dressing rooms, from a corner kick by Giovanni Lucelso, substitute for the injured young Ezequiel Palacios in the first half, was cut off by a strong header of the German Stuttgart striker Nicolas Gonzales (22 years) from the edge of the small area ( 40).

Gonzalez (4 caps), who played in a late position in midfield, said, "In Germany, I played as a left back with a defensive line of five or four players. We know he's not central, but I try to help the team from anywhere."

And this is the first vertical goal resulting from a direct corner, which Argentina scored in 20 years in World Cup qualifiers.

Its coach, Lionel Scaloni, said, "After the penalty kick, we were the best party ... especially in the second half ... despite the lack of victory, we must extract the positives from this performance."

Argentina acquired the ball (68%) in exchange for Paraguayan high fitness and pressure on the ball holder.

Lautaro Martínez and Lucas Ocampos searched for Messi's supply, while the returnee, Angel Di Maria, entered the last half hour, to play his 103rd international match.

But the Barcelona striker, who had doubts about his participation in an ankle injury, created opportunities for his teammates, especially Inter's Italian striker Martinis, and scored the net, before the video assistant referee intervened to calculate a foul fifty meters away that prevented "Albicelesti" progress (57).

The crossbar also repelled a far free kick by Messi in the 72nd minute, to end the match in a draw before Argentina's confrontation with its host Peru on Tuesday.

Argentine central defender Nicolas Otamendi said after the match, "I think we were not on our side in the first half because of the pressure, but after our success in rolling the ball and finding holes, we spent most of the second half at home."

On the other hand, Paraguay remained unbeaten, raising its score to 5 points from 3 matches.

Alberuja has only lost an orphan once in the last seven matches against Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers.

"I salute the efforts of our players. It was a demanding match from a defensive standpoint. We prevented Argentina from finding loopholes," said their Argentine coach, Eduardo Perizzo.

A deadly goal gives Ecuador a second victory

In a second match Thursday, Ecuador continued its awakening by defeating its host Bolivia 3-2 in La Paz.

Bolivia was the first to score through Juan Carlos Arsi in the 37th minute, but the visitors responded strongly at the beginning of the second half with two goals by left defender Peder Caicedo (46) and the Mexican midfielder Angel Mina Delgado (55).

But the guests' joy only lasted five minutes, as the veteran Brazilian Cruzeiro striker Marcelo Martins Moreno managed to equalize (50).

At the time when the match was breathing its last, Ecuador got a penalty kick after a handball on defender Adrian Josino, which was confirmed after resorting to the video assistant referee, "VAR", so Augsburg German midfielder Carlos Grueso successfully scored the winning goal (88) .

This is the first time that Ecuador achieved a victory away from home in the qualifiers after being late in the first half, putting an end to five successive losses outside their home country.

"(The result) sums up this team that is always looking to win. We deserve this victory," said Argentine Ecuadorean coach Gustavo Alvaro.

It is the second consecutive victory for Ecuador, after the first at its home, Uruguay 4-2 in the second round, after losing to its host Argentina 0-1 in the first round.

On the other hand, bottom-ranked Bolivia suffered its third loss in succession, after the first against its host Brazil by five clean, and the second against its guest Argentina 1-2, remaining in the last place without a score.

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