BUENOS AIRES, SEPT 6— Despite being without the injured Lionel Messi and the retired Ángel Di María, Argentina beat Chile 3-0 yesterday to remain at the top of South America’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 48th minute, Julián Álvarez added a goal in the 84th minute and Paulo Dybala closed the scoring in the 90th minute for Argentina, who have 18 points after the first seven rounds.
The top six teams in the South American standings will qualify for the World Cup to be played in the United States, México and Canada in 2026.
After winning the Copa America in the United States, Argentina made it without Messi who suffered a right ankle injury in the final against Colombia. His future status is also still uncertain.
Di María, who has retired from the national team, was honored by his fans and teammates before the match was played at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Di María also played his last game in a win over Colombia in the Copa America final. He has been a member of the Argentine national team for 16 years.
The team then paraded the Copa America trophy they won around the field. – AP
