At halftime, Lionel Messi was seen pointing his finger and saying something to Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco. It was evident that Messi was unhappy with a decision, his frustration boiling over—a rare sight. Equally rare was Argentina’s defeat, which Paraguay managed to pull off at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asunción.
Argentina had taken the lead in the 11th minute with Lautaro Martínez’s clinical left-footed finish. However, the joy lasted only eight minutes before Paraguay leveled the score with a magical moment. Antonio Sanabria delivered a stunning bicycle kick that left the crowd in awe. Omar Alderete then turned the tide in Paraguay’s favor, heading in a goal in the 47th minute. Despite Messi playing the full 90 minutes, Argentina couldn’t find an equalizer and left the pitch with a 2-1 defeat under Lionel Scaloni’s leadership.
This marks the second time Paraguay has defeated both Brazil and Argentina in the same World Cup qualifying campaign. The last time was during the 2010 qualifiers, and just last September, they also stunned Brazil at the same venue.
Argentina had opportunities to equalize. In the 69th minute, Julián Álvarez’s long pass found Rodrigo De Paul on the right. De Paul sprinted into the box but shot over the bar despite being one-on-one with Paraguay goalkeeper Gatito Fernández. Three minutes before full time, Valentín Castellanos narrowly missed the target with a header from Messi’s cross. Even with more chances, Argentina couldn’t capitalize, and Messi himself wasn’t at his usual best.
The match had started on a bright note for Argentina with Martínez breaking through Paraguay’s offside trap after a through ball from Enzo Fernández. The Inter Milan striker confidently scored with his left foot, marking his 31st goal in 69 appearances for Argentina.
But the 19th-minute brilliance of Sanabria shifted the momentum. Receiving a cross from Gustavo Velázquez on the right, the Torino forward executed a breathtaking bicycle kick that will be remembered for years.
After halftime, Alderete’s header from a Diego Gómez free-kick sealed Paraguay’s win. This victory makes Paraguay only the second team in South American World Cup qualifying history to concede the opening goal against Argentina and still win. The first was Colombia in 2007.
Despite the loss, Argentina remains atop the South American standings with 22 points from 11 matches. Colombia sits second with 19 points from 10 matches, while Brazil, following a 1-1 draw against Venezuela, is third with 17 points. Ecuador thrashed Bolivia 4-0 and climbed to fifth with 16 points, tied with sixth-placed Paraguay but ahead on goal difference.
The top six teams from South America will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the seventh will play a playoff. Argentina will play its final qualifier of the year against Peru on Wednesday morning.
