A few days after the cessation of the World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil, both countries have won their next match in the qualifying tournament. Argentina defeated Bolivia (3-0) thanks to three goals from Lionel Messi and Brazil was 2-0 too strong for Peru.
Messi was again the big man at Argentina. He opened the score after fifteen minutes by playing Luis Haquin through the legs and curling the ball into the corner.
More goals than Pele
Lautaro Martínez then had two chances to make it 2-0, but the Internazionale striker tapped just wide on a pass from Messi and then a goal was disallowed for offside. After the break, the 2-0 fell through Messi, who also scored in the final phase from a rebound on a shot by Paris Saint-Germain teammate Leandro Paredes.
His hat-trick gave Messi a nice record. The Argentine soccer star has now scored 79 for his country, twice more than Pele did for Brazil. As a result, he is now the most scoring international of a South American country.
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