La Albiceleste overpowered the opponents, with Julian Alvarez delivering a Man of the Match performance.
Argentina overcame a Copa America hangover in their first encounter since winning the 2024 title, thumping Chile 3-0 in World Cup Qualifying Thursday night. Alexis MacAllister, Julian Alvarez, and Paulo Dybala scored to secure an overwhelming victory.
Ahead of the match, La Albiceleste, all of the fans in attendance, and those across the world, watched as Argentina paid tribute and said goodbye to great Angel Di Maria. After winning the Copa, the explosive winger declared his international retirement, and with his family by his side, he delivered an emotional speech in front of a sold-out crowd, with cellphone torches blazing from the stands and cheers booming throughout the pitch.
The sentiment set the tone for the encounter, as La Albiceleste had more on the line than simply points in the 2026 World Cup Qualifying; they owed a memorable performance to their friend, comrade, and legend.
After a frenetic and heated first 45 minutes, the two teams headed into the break scoreless. However, Lionel Scaloni’s team came out of the break fired up. Three minutes into the second half, Mac Allister scored off an Alvarez pass to give them a 1-0 lead.
The drama of the final 45 minutes was not the Liverpool midfielder, but Alvarez, who enlivened the big stage. The Manchester City striker seemed at ease in a front-two, and his opportunity came in the 84th minute. He got the ball at the top of the box, made a nice move, and launched a rocket of an effort that went bar-down into the back of the net to double their lead late.
A third goal came in stoppage time, when Roma’s Paulo Dybala came off the bench and fired into the net.
With the victory, La Albiceleste maintains its lead in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying rankings, with 18 points from 21. They lead Uruguay by five points, while Colombia is one point behind La Celeste in third place. La Albiceleste will face Los Cafeteros on Tuesday in Barranquilla, Colombia.