Lionel Scaloni and Argentina have long known that it doesn’t matter how the matches look, as long as they result in victories.
Occasionally, though, it’s nice to have fun while doing it.
After surviving a first half with lots of possession and little to show for it, Argentina romped to a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile behind second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, and Paulo Dybala.
In the absence of Lionel Messi who is missing this international break due to an ankle injury suffered in the Copa America final, Argentina have hardly missed a beat. They nearly faltered just before halftime as a header by Chile defender Matias Catalan clattered the woodwork, but recovered well to secure a big win.
Mac Allister got things started shortly after halftime, crashing home the game’s first goal after a wonderful dummy by Lautaro Martinez. They cruised from there, comfortable with the one-goal lead, able to keep Chile from building any kind of noticeable attacking presence.
In the final 10 minutes, Argentina broke things open, first on a glittering stunner from Julian Alvarez who scored maybe the goal of the year for the Albiceleste with a sensational snipe of the top-left corner. Paulo Dybala, wearing Messi’s No. 10, finished off the scoreline when he came off the bench to beat Gabriel Arias at his near post a minute into stoppage time.
The win for Argentina moves them five points clear at the top of the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying standings, while Chile drop to ninth after Bolivia’s huge 4-0 win over Venezuela.
