Messi misses Argentina’s 3-0 win in Bolivia; Brazil beats Peru in World Cup qualifiers
Argentina's Lionel Messi sits on the bench during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Bolivia at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Juan Karita]
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Lionel Messi missed Argentina’s 3-0 win in Bolivia as the World Cup champions put together back-to-back victories to start qualifying for 2026. The win at altitude in La Paz gave Argentina six points from its opening two matches. Brazil had a 1-0 win over Peru to move equal with Argentina at the top of the South American standings. Ecuador beat Uruguay 2-1 and Chile held Colombia to a 0-0 draw in other games on Tuesday. The result allowed Ecuador to erase its deficit in the standings, after FIFA deducted three points due to the falsification of birth information of defender Byron Castillo.
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Argentina's Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring his side first against Bolivia during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Juan Karita