Argentina secures leadership; Chile needs a real miracle

Argentina defeated Chile 1-0 and secured the lead in the CONMEBOL Qualifiers with three matches remaining; La Roja is last in the standings and only aspires to the playoffs to secure its ticket to the 2026 World Cup .

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With nearly 50,000 fans in attendance at the Julio Martínez Prádanos National Stadium in Santiago, Alexis Sánchez launched a powerful shot into the box that Emiliano " Dibu " Martínez managed to deflect; almost immediately, Rodrigo de Paul responded with a deflected shot.

Argentina controlled possession and left the home side virtually without any chance, as they continued to chase the reigning world champions across the entire length and breadth of the pitch.

When everything seemed completely under control, Argentina came out at speed and Thiago Almada assisted Julián Álvarez , who faced one-on-one against goalkeeper Brayan Cortés, who suffered the definition of 'La Araña', who got the 1-0 in the 16th minute .

Before the end of the first half, Giuliano Simeone had the opportunity to score the 2-0 , however, his attempt went over the opponent's goal and Lionel Scaloni completely regretted the miss.

FRANCO MASTANTUONO DEBUTS AND MAKES HISTORY

For the second half, Argentina brought on Lionel Messi , who arrived at the Albiceleste training camp not fully fit; Chile looked to respond with long-range shots that Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez successfully blocked.

With just 15 minutes left, the Andean team maintained their pressure and maintained their dominance, leading Lucas Cepeda to reach the edge of the six-yard box to volley home the ball , lifting the fans from their seats; they were missing out on a draw .

With several opportunities in the closing stages of the match, Franco Mastantuono made his debut for Argentina (84') and became the fifth youngest to do so in the history of the three-time world champions, achieving this at just 17 years and 295 days .

With this result, Argentina reached 34 points and secured the lead in the Conmebol Qualifiers, while Chile is last in the general table with three matches left and now only aspires to finish in 7th place, which gives them the only available ticket to the Playoffs on the way to the 2026 World Cup .

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