Calama (AP) – Argentina beat Chile 2-1 in qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar.
Ángel di María found the far corner in the 8th minute from outside the penalty area on Thursday at the Zorros del Desierto stadium in Calama, Ben Brereton equalizing for the hosts in the 20th minute. In the 33rd minute the ball rebounded from Chile’s goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and Lautaro Martínez scored from close range for the visitors to make it 2-1.
Argentina were without captain Lionel Messi and national coach Lionel Scaloni for the game in the Atacama Desert. The star striker was not in top shape after a corona infection, and the coach had recently tested positive for the virus. However, like Brazil, Argentina has already qualified for the World Cup at the end of the year.
Uruguay and Paraguay had previously drawn 1-0. Thus, the Celeste, with their new coach Diego Alonso, has taken an important step towards qualifying for the World Cup, while the ticket to Qatar for the Paraguayan national team has become a long way off with the defeat at the Estadio General Pablo Rojas stadium in Asunción.
