04:38
Inter Miami star scored the only goal of the match against Ecuador. Otamendi was in the starting line-up and Di María came on in the 2nd half
In popular slang, getting in with your left foot usually means bad luck, but that’s not the case when it comes to Lionel Messi’s left foot. The champion Argentina kicked off the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 triumph over Ecuador, in a match played at dawn this Friday that featured Benfica player Nicolás Otamendi among the starters and Di María starting from the bench.
The city of Buenos Aires received the world champions, who had to suffer a lot to defeat the 40th ranked in the FIFA ranking, and saw the star of Inter Miami, captain of the albiceleste, be the hero of the game when he scored a great goal (78′) with a direct free kick, at a time when ‘El Fideo’ was already on the pitch.
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Enzo Fernández, a former Benfica midfielder who now plays for Chelsea, was also among coach Lionel Scaloni’s initial options, in what was the 22-year-old midfielder’s first game in South American qualifiers for Argentina, despite already having a World Cup in history.
As for Lionel Messi, it is the third goal from a direct free-kick in the last 12 games, the Argentine’s 65th in his career, thus equaling David Beckham in 5th place among the players with the most goals scored in this particular. Leo is one goal away from reaching the record set by compatriot Víctor Legrotaglie, who ended his career with 66 free-kick goals and is only surpassed by Brazilians Pelé (70) and Juninho Pernambucano (77).
By Record
2023-09-08 04:00:23
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