A stunning overhead kick from Antonio Sanabria and a header from Omar Al Derete in the second half gave Paraguay a deserved 2-1 win over hosts Argentina led by Lionel Messi in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
Argentina took the lead 11 minutes into the match when Enzo Fernandez’s deep pass reached Lautaro Martinez, whose powerful shot was initially ruled out for offside, but it was eventually counted after a VAR review.
Paraguay came close to scoring moments later when Gustavo Gomez’s header from a corner kick hit the crossbar.
The hosts quickly tried again, as a cross from Gustavo Velasquez reached Sanabria, who fired a wonderful overhead kick that left goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez helpless.
The stunned visitors struggled to find their feet, as Messi (36 years old) was largely absent from play for most of the first half and only managed one shot that went wide.
However, he was fouled twice by Alderete, but referee Anderson Darocco did show him a second yellow card before half-time.
“I think, overall, we played a great game. We controlled the ball. Their goals came from two of our mistakes. We need to fix our lapses in set-pieces,” striker Martinez said after the match against TyC Sports.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said in a press conference, “(The goal) at the beginning of the second half made things more difficult. We have to congratulate the opponent who defended very well.”
World Cup holders Argentina lead the standings with 22 points from 11 matches and will host ninth-placed Peru on Tuesday.
Paraguay occupies sixth place with 16 points on goal difference, ahead of Ecuador, which crushed Bolivia 4-0 on Thursday, and Uruguay, which hosts second-placed Colombia on Friday.
Earlier, Brazil tied with Venezuela 1-1, leaving Brazil in third place with 17 points.
The top six teams will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.