A stunning bicycle kick from Antonio Sanabria and a second-half header from Omar Alderete gave Paraguay a deserved 2-1 home win over Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday (14).
Argentina took the lead 11 minutes into the game when Enzo Fernandez’s deep pass found Lautaro Martinez, whose fierce shot was initially ruled out for offside but was eventually awarded following a VAR review.
Paraguay came close moments later when Gustavo Gomez’s header from a corner hit the crossbar. The home side quickly tried again with Gustavo Velazquez’s cross finding Sanabria, who unleashed a superb bicycle kick that left goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helpless.
The shocked visitors struggled to recover, with captain Lionel Messi absent from the action for much of the first half and managing just one shot which went wide.
However, he was brought down twice by Alderete, but referee Anderson Daroco did not show him a second yellow card before half-time.
Two minutes into the second half, Paraguayan defender Alderete scored a header from a set piece, following a foul by substitute Leonardo Balerdi on Julio Enciso.
Rodrigo de Paul had the best chance to equalize 20 minutes before the end, but he was unable to control the ball after an escape and his shot went wide. Meanwhile, Argentina’s mistakes continued to increase, with Paraguay holding firm in defense.
“I think overall we played a great game. We controlled the ball. Their goals came from two of our mistakes. We need to fix our lapses in dead balls,” striker Martinez said after the match to TyC Sports.
“O [gol] at the beginning of the second half it made everything more difficult. We have to congratulate the opponent, who defended very well”, said Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni at a press conference.
Argentina, holder of the World Cup, leads the standings with 22 points from 11 games and will host ninth-placed Peru on Tuesday (19).
Paraguay is in sixth, with 16 points, behind on goal difference Ecuador, which massacred Bolivia 4-0 on Thursday (14), and Uruguay, which hosts second-placed Colombia this Friday (15). .
Earlier, Brazil had drawn 1-1 with Venezuela, placing third with 17 points.
The six best teams will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
