In the early hours of this golden autumn season, the eyes of football fans are once again focused on the continent of passion and glory in South America.
In the early morning of October 11, Beijing time, a key matchup in the 9th round of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup South American Qualifiers quietly kicked off between Argentina and Venezuela.
Argentina play away from home against a strong opponent Venezuela, and every point counts.
And this game, because of Messi's return from injury, fans are full of expectations.
The competition is back in the picture, with Argentina leading the standings
Since the start of the World Preliminary Round, Argentina has led the standings at a steady pace.
The result of 6 wins and 2 losses in 8 rounds not only demonstrates the strong strength of the "Pampas Eagles", but also makes the outside world full of confidence in this team.
However, an unexpected defeat to Colombia in the last round brought Argentina's winning streak to an abrupt halt and exposed the team's goal problems in the face of dense defense.
What worries fans even more is that Messi missed the next two games due to an injury in the Copa America final.
His return is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the Argentina team.
Challenging on a rainy night, the venue is flooded
The match was scheduled to start sometime in the early hours of the morning Beijing time, but the sudden rain added more uncertainty to the match.
Due to the severe water accumulation in the venue, the match had to be postponed for half an hour.
This is an unprecedented test for both teams.
The water not only affected the speed of the players, but also made it extremely difficult to pass and receive the ball.
Under such conditions, whoever can adapt to the venue faster is likely to take the initiative in the game.
First half: Messi flashes and Argentina takes the lead
With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.
In the opening 9th minute, Argentina gave Venezuela a chance to tackle and counter-attack due to a passing error at the back.
Luckily, though, goalkeeper Rulli relied on sharp judgment and excellent reflexes to keep his opponent's long-range shot out.
This dangerous situation also made the Argentina team quickly adjust its defensive state.
In the 13th minute, Argentina won a free kick on the left side of the field.
Messi took the penalty himself, and his free-kick found his team-mate in the box with precision.
Although goalkeeper Moro fought hard, the ball bounced off the defender, and then Otamendi seized the opportunity at the back post and pushed the empty goal to give Argentina a 10-up lead! This goal not only made the Argentina fans on the scene boil, but also seemed to indicate that Messi's return will bring new hope to the team.
In the subsequent games, Argentina relied on Messi's tandem and organization to create threats on the offensive end many times.
In the 17th minute, Messi sent a precise through ball, Almada burst into the penalty area with the ball, but was cut off by the opponent when he was about to form a shot.
And the Venezuela team is not to be outdone, and the active scrambling of Longdong and others in the front field has brought a lot of pressure to the back line of the Argentina team.
In the 24th minute, Rondon's long-range shot in front of the penalty area was slightly wide and missed a good chance to equalize.
Second half: Venezuela fought back stubbornly and Messi missed a good chance
After the rematch, Venezuela stepped up their offensive and tried to equalize.
In the 48th minute, Venezuela won a corner on the left and Herrera's header was dangerous, but Rulli once again showed his heroic side and saved the ball off the line.
This save not only stabilized the Argentina team, but also cheered the fans at the scene.
Messi and Alvarez remain the core of Argentina's attack.
In the 52nd minute, Messi sent a precise through ball and Alvarez had a chance to shoot on the right side of the box, but his volley was blocked by a defender.
Although this attack failed to translate into goals, it was enough to see that Argentina was more and more tacit in their cooperation up front.
However, just when fans thought Argentina would hold on to their lead until the end of the match, Venezuela seized their chance in the heavy rain.
In the 65th minute, Sotedo crossed the penalty area after breaking through on the side, and Long Dong shook his head to score the goal, and the score was rewritten to 11! The goal boosted the morale of the Venezuela team and restored the suspense of the game.
The race entered the final stage, with both sides making their final sprint for victory.
In the 73rd minute, Messi burst into the right side of the penalty area and volleyed after receiving De Paul's through ball in front, but Morrow showed his courage again and saved the ball off the line.
In the 77th minute, Messi once again sent a delicate through ball from the midfield, but unfortunately Alvarez was a little slow to step forward and failed to form a threatening shot.
As time went on, the game gradually came to an end.
In the 84th minute, Venezuela won a free-kick in front of goal, but both shots were blocked by Argentina's strong human wall.
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