WC Qualifiers: Argentina cruise to Lionel Messi’s hat-trick; Uruguay beat Ecuador

Lionel Messi once again performed brilliantly in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, scoring all goals in Argentina’s 3-0 home win against Bolivia.

Earlier Uruguay had finished third in the table with a 1-0 win over Ecuador.

Messi also became the top scorer in South American football history. The 34-year-old has scored 79 runs for Argentina, beating Brazil’s Pele’s tally of 77.

Leader Brazil, with 21 points, would finish the round against Peru later.

This international window will be followed by one match less than the competition between Brazil and Argentina as their Superclassico was suspended on Sunday. FIFA has yet to decide what will happen to the match, with a shocking halt to Brazil’s health agents demanding the removal of four Argentine players for allegedly providing false information to the authorities.

The top four teams in the South American qualifiers will advance directly to next year’s World Cup in Qatar, and the fifth-placed team will advance to the Intercontinental Playoffs.

Messi opened the way for Argentina in the 14th minute in front of 20,000 lucky fans at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. He swung the ball between the legs of the Bolivian defender and shot it to the right of goalkeeper Carlos Lampe from outside the box.

He once again showed the style of scoring the second goal in the 64th minute. Messi and striker Lautaro Martinez exchanged four quick passes to put the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in great position. He still had time to dribble a defender before scoring.

After receiving a rebound from Lampe, Messi completed his hat-trick from close range in the 88th minute.

Argentina now has 18 points and is in second place. Bolivia remains in ninth place with six.

Uruguay managed a last-minute home win against Ecuador which was crucial to its hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. Gaston Pereiro’s header in stoppage time allowed Uruguay to add 15 points and take Ecuador’s third place in the table. The Ecuadorian, ranked fourth with 13 points, is also in a good position to move to Qatar next year.

Colombia also got a 3-1 home win against Chile in a brilliant performance from striker Miguel Borja. He scored the first goal from the spot in the 19th minute and scored another goal a minute later. Chile reduced the deficit in the 56th minute with Jean Menezes, but Luis Diaz added the final goal for Colombia in the 74th minute.

Also on Thursday, Paraguay beat Venezuela 2-1. The hosts scored in the 7th and 46th minutes along with David Martinez and Alejandro Romero. The visiting team scored their only goal with Jhon Chancellor in the 90th minute.