Argentina falls to Paraguay in World Cup Qualifying

Messi has a subpar performance as Argentina loses to Paraguay

Argentina played poorly and lost 1-0 to Paraguay in a World Cup qualifying match on Thursday. Lionel Messi was nearly invisible in the match, and Argentina failed to create many scoring chances. Paraguay's goal came in the first half, when Miguel Almiron scored on a breakaway. Argentina had a chance to equalize in the second half, but Lautaro Martinez missed a penalty. The loss is a setback for Argentina's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. They are now in fifth place in the South American standings, and they need to finish in the top four to qualify automatically.

Argentina was the heavy favorite going into the match, but they were outplayed by Paraguay from the start. Paraguay was more aggressive and physical, and they created more scoring chances. Messi was well-marked by the Paraguayan defense, and he was unable to get into the game. The loss is a major disappointment for Argentina, and it puts their World Cup hopes in jeopardy. They will need to improve their performance significantly if they want to qualify for the tournament.

Here are the player ratings for Argentina:

• Emiliano Martinez: 6.0 - Made several good saves, but could not prevent Paraguay's goal.
• Nahuel Molina: 5.5 - Was caught out of position for Paraguay's goal, but was otherwise solid defensively.
• Cristian Romero: 6.0 - Was solid defensively, but was not able to help Argentina create much going forward.
• Nicolas Otamendi: 5.5 - Was not at his best, and was partly at fault for Paraguay's goal.
• Marcos Acuna: 5.5 - Was not as effective as he can be going forward, and was caught out of position defensively on a few occasions.
• Guido Rodriguez: 6.0 - Was tidy in possession, but did not offer much creativity going forward.
• Leandro Paredes: 5.5 - Was not at his best, and was replaced by Exequiel Palacios in the second half.
• Lionel Messi: 4.5 - Was nearly invisible in the match, and was unable to create any scoring chances.
• Angel Di Maria: 5.5 - Was lively and created a few chances, but was not able to find the net.
• Lautaro Martinez: 5.0 - Missed a penalty in the second half, and was otherwise ineffective.
• Julian Alvarez: 5.5 - Was lively and showed some good skills, but was not able to make a major impact on the game.