Lionel Messi produced a magical display to get Argentina’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification back on track on Tuesday as Brazil notched their sixth consecutive victory to put one foot in the finals in Russia.
Messi curled home a stunning free-kick, and set up goals for Lucas Pratto and Angel di Maria in a 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan, Argentina.
The victory elevated Argentina into the qualifying places after a disastrous run of results which saw them take just two points from their previous four games, but the feelgood factor generated by the result was overshadowed by a media boycott imposed by a furious Messi and his Argentina teammates after the final whistle.
Photo: AFP
Messi said the Albiceleste were incensed by a claim made by an Argentine journalist that forward Ezequiel Lavezzi had been caught smoking marijuana in the camp.
Lavezzi, who was not included on the bench against Colombia, has angrily denied the claims.
“We have made the decision not to talk to the press anymore, obviously you know why,” said Messi, who has an often tense relationship with Argentina’s media. “There were a lot of accusations, a lot of disrespect, and the accusations they made against ‘Pocho’ [Lavezzi] are very serious. We know that most of you guys don’t play that game of disrespect. We can be criticized if we lose, or win, or if we play well or badly, but this is getting into personal lives. If we don’t put a stop to it now, we’ll never stop it.”
Tuesday’s win left Argentina in fifth spot in the 10-team standings, with 19 points from 12 games. The top four sides qualify automatically for the finals, while the fifth-placed team goes into a playoff with the winner of the Oceania zone.
While Argentina have made hard work of qualification so far, Brazil appear to be coasting to Russia.
Only a miraculous sequence of results is likely to deny them an automatic qualifying place following their 2-0 victory over Peru in Lima on Tuesday.
Manchester City-bound teenager Gabriel Jesus was the hero once more, scoring one goal and laying on another for Renato Augusto to give Brazil a sixth consecutive win under coach Tite.
The result left Brazil four points clear at the top of the standings with 27 points from 12 games.
In Santiago, Chile continued their recovery with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Uruguay.
Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez was the hero, scoring twice in the second half after Eduardo Vargas had canceled out Edinson Cavani’s first-half opener for Uruguay.
In the other games on Tuesday, Bolivia jolted Paraguay with a 1-0 win in La Paz, while Venezuela slipped to the bottom of the standings after Ecuador coasted to a 3-0 victory in Quito.
Ecuador are now third in the standings, three points behind second-placed Uruguay.
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