Football: Argentina-Peru (2-0)

In the night, Argentina faced Peru in the playoffs at the 2026 World Cup. The defending world champions were able to count on Lionel Messi (36) to help them win. Indeed, Pulga signed a double. The Inter Miami player opened the scoring in the 33rd minute of a good recovery that finished below the bar.

His second goal was scored from the left in the 42nd. Thanks to these two new achievements, the former PSG player is the record holder for the number of goals scored in qualifying. He scored 31 goals against 29 for Luis Suarez. A great evening for Messi and the Albiceleste.

But on the eve of the trip to Peru, Lionel Scaloni, the coach of the defending World Champions, remained cautious about the presence of Lionel Messi. «I think the team plays with determination, whatever the players on the field, that’s the most important thing. We saw the other day that we could as well play without Lionel Messi. We would like to have it on the ground, but when it’s not there, we have to replace it somehow. We can make adjustments based on the physical condition of certain players. We always try to get those who are 100% or very close to being in the game» he assured the press conference.

Pascal Amstrong