The brilliant moment of the duo Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez helped Argentina win 1-0 against Peru on the morning of November 20 (Hanoi time).

Lautaro Martinez scored a beautiful goal.

In the 12th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America, Argentina hosted Peru at home with the pressure to win, after Messi and his teammates suffered a shocking 1-2 defeat to Paraguay in the last round. However, Peru’s crowded defense and the lackluster performance of their main strikers made things difficult for Argentina.

Everything changed in the 55th minute, when Messi spoke up. The Inter Miami superstar dribbled straight into the Peru penalty area, attracting 5 Peruvian defenders. Then, Messi crossed the ball for Martinez to dive in and volley the ball into the visitors’ net.

Throughout the match, Argentina controlled the ball 74% of the time, launched 10 shots but only 3 of them were on target. The reigning world champions had problems in attack, when Messi was not in explosive form.

Messi is still the name that makes the difference for Argentina.

However, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s class still helped Argentina make a difference against Peru. A narrow 1-0 win over Peru helped Argentina close out 2024 with a favorable result, thereby continuing to firmly hold the top spot in the South American 2026 World Cup qualifying rankings.

Messi and his teammates now have 25 points after 12 matches, 8 points more than the team in the play-off position, Paraguay. It can be said that Argentina is very close to a ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals.