Paraguay claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over Argentina in Asunción on Thursday, with Antonio Sanabria scoring a stunning bicycle kick and Omar Alderete adding a second-half header to seal the win in the South American World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina took an early lead in the 11th minute when Enzo Fernandez delivered a long pass to Lautaro Martinez, whose powerful shot was initially ruled offside. However, after a VAR review, the goal was awarded.
Paraguay nearly equalized moments later when Gustavo Gomez’s header from a corner struck the crossbar. The hosts responded quickly, with Gustavo Velazquez crossing for Sanabria, who produced an incredible overhead kick that left Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rooted to the spot.
The visitors, rattled by the goal, struggled to regain their rhythm. Lionel Messi, 36, was largely quiet during the first half, registering just one shot that went wide. Although Messi was fouled twice by Alderete, the referee, Anderson Daroco, did not show a second yellow card before halftime.
“I think we played a great game overall,” said Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez after the match. “We controlled possession, but their goals came from two of our mistakes. We need to fix our lapses, especially on set pieces.”
Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged the challenge, saying, “The goal at the start of the second half made things more difficult. We have to congratulate our opponents, who defended very well.”
With this result, Argentina remains at the top of the qualification standings with 22 points from 11 matches and will face Peru on Tuesday. Paraguay, on 16 points, sits sixth, just behind Ecuador and Uruguay, who both won their respective games on Thursday. Ecuador thrashed Bolivia 4-0, while Uruguay will host Colombia on Friday.
In other qualifying action, Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela, leaving them in third place with 17 points.
The top six teams in the South American qualifiers will secure automatic spots for the 2026 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
