Paraguay 2-1 Argentina: Hosts end decade-long drought with a thrilling 2-1 victory over La Albiceleste

Paraguay established a four-point lead over seventh-placed Venezuela after overcoming Argentina, marking their first victory on home soil against the Albiceleste since 2009.

In an effort to foster an intimidating environment dominated by the Albirroja's colors, Paraguayan President Fernando Villasboa prohibited fans from donning any jerseys featuring Lionel Messi's name.

This contentious decision seemed to provoke Messi, who was still reeling from his recent elimination from the MLS playoffs.

It took just over ten minutes for La Albiceleste to take the lead, courtesy of Lautaro Martinez, who successfully navigated an offside VAR check to score with a well-placed left-footed shot following a chipped through ball from Enzo Fernandez.

In past qualification campaigns, Paraguay might have capitulated easily, but this time they remarkably equalized with a stunning goal from Torino forward Antonio Sanabria.

Having netted only once in five matches since his brace against Venezuela, he audaciously executed an unstoppable overhead kick, igniting the enthusiasm of the home crowd.

Following several reckless challenges in the first half, Lionel Scaloni decided to substitute Cristian Romero at halftime—a choice he would soon regret.

Perhaps fortunate to remain on the field after narrowly avoiding a second yellow card, Omar Alderete leaped to direct a header past Emiliano Martinez after Diego Gomez delivered a free-kick from the left.

Despite having conceded only one goal in their last four international matches, Paraguay proved difficult to penetrate, aided by a glaring miss from Rodrigo De Paul, who failed to score when clean through on goal, extending his international drought since 2022.

This victory positions Paraguay with a four-point advantage over Venezuela in the playoff race, while Argentina retains the top position, with qualification nearly assured.

SportsLigue