BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi scored his 10th international hat trick to raise his career total to 112 goals and also had a pair of assists to lead Argentina over Bolivia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
After missing a pair of October qualifiers while recovering from a right ankle injury sustained in the Copa America, Messi played the entire match before raucous fans at Estadio Monumental who chanted his name after he opened the scoring in the 19th minute.
Messi added goals in the 84th and 86th minutes. The 37-year-old is second on the career scoring list behind the 133 of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rival Brazil and under-pressure coach Dorival Júnio got some relief with a convincing performance in a 4-0 home win against Peru.
Argentina leads South American qualifying with 22 points after 10 matches, three points clear of second-place Colombia, who beat Chile 4-0. Uruguay, which earlier had a goalless draw with Ecuador, and Brazil have 16 points each, with the Uruguayans in third place on goal difference.
Ecuador and Paraguay follow with 13 points apiece, with Ecuadorians fifth on goal difference.
The top six teams secure automatic berths in the 2026 World Cup. The seventh-place team, currently Bolivia, will play in an international playoff for a spot in the tournament.
Two more rounds will be played in November.
Messi in strong form on return
Messi’s first goal came after a mistake by a Bolivian defender, who missed a pass and allowed Messi to run freely and finish unchallenged in front of goalkeeper Billy Viscarra. Messi assisted on Lautaro Martínez’s 43rd-minute goal and gave a decisive pass once again Julián Álvarez scored in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
Thiago Almada in the 69th minute off a low cross by Nahuel Molina before Messi had great finishing touches from the edge of the area.
“We enjoyed this, we are happy to be here playing in Argentina,” said Messi, who once again refused to say whether he will play in the next World Cup in 2026. “This could be one of the last (matches in front of the Argentinian crowd).”
Bolivia, which is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years, remains in contention with 12 points.
Brazil reappears under Júnior
This month’s rounds of South American qualifying were important for coach Dorival Júnior. His team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the latest Copa America and was struggling against rivals it used to beat easily, such as Paraguay and Venezuela.
Júnior’s chances of success seemed low in matches against Chile and Peru due to injuries affecting several of his starters; goalkeeper Alisson, defender Éder Militão and striker Vinicius Júnior were all out. But a last-minute win against the Chileans and a convincing display against the Peruvians will give the Brazil coach some relief.
Raphinha scored from the spot twice to put Brazil in front in Brasilia, the first in the 38th minute and the second in the 54th.
Substitute Andreas Pereira made more than 60,000 fans at the National Stadium gasp when he scored with a volley in the 71st minute. Another substitute, Luiz Henrique, scored for the second consecutive match for the national team with a classy shot from the edge of the box.
“These were two matches that we controlled well,” Raphinha said. “We are far from perfection, but we are on the right track.”
Chile in last place
Chile’s loss to Colombia has placed the job of coach Ricardo Gareca at risk. Davinson Sánchez, Luis Díaz, Jhon Durán and Luis Sinistierra scored the goals for Colombia. Chile is in last place in the qualifying group with only five points.
Paraguay beat Venezuela 2-1 and moved into a qualifying position in the standings. Jon Aramburo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute, but striker Antonio Sarabia came off the bench to win it for the hosts with goals in the 59th and 74th minutes.
Messi scores 10th hat trick as Argentina wins World Cup qualifier
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Messi scores 10th hat trick as Argentina wins World Cup qualifier
- Lionel Messi scored his 10th international hat trick to raise his career total to 112 goals
- Messi added goals in the 84th and 86th minutes
Barcelona blitz Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to book place in Super Cup final
- Catalans turn uncertainty into complete control with breathtaking 16-minute spell that saw them race into a four-goal lead before the interval
- Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0
JEDDAH: It did not look like the easiest opening 20 minutes for Barcelona in Jeddah during their encounter with Athletic Bilbao. Yet in a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval.
More than 50,000 fans packed the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah to witness the spectacle, although the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal were rested, allowing opportunities for youngsters like Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez.
Lopez would emerge as one of the standout performers of the night. While his threat inside the box was evident, it was his creativity that truly shone in front of the Jeddawi crowd.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A sweeping move from side to side ended with Raphinha finding Bardghji on the right, whose cutback was met by Lopez before being laid off for Ferran Torres to finish calmly for 1-0.
Just eight minutes later, an exquisite backheel from Pedri released Raphinha down the left flank once again, with his low cross this time finding Lopez to double Barcelona’s advantage.
Lopez contributed to his third goal of the night minutes later, this time slipping Bardghji down the right. The Kuwaiti-born winger skipped past Adama Boiro before striking at goal, with Unai Simon mishandling the ball as it trickled over the line.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of slowing down. Raphina finally got on the scoresheet in emphatic fashion with a belter into the top corner in the 38th minute.
To the surprise of many, neither side made any changes at the break. That decision quickly proved costly for Bilbao, as Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the contest beyond reach, Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde rang the changes, making five substitutions to give minutes to his squad.
Barcelona, meanwhile, eased off to conserve energy ahead of Sunday’s final. To the delight of the crowd, both Rashford and Yamal were introduced, with Yamal receiving a warm standing ovation upon his entrance in the 72nd minute.
The emphatic victory marks Barcelona’s second consecutive five-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup, following last year’s 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the final.
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday, as Real Madrid face Atlético Madrid, with the winner set to meet Barcelona in Sunday’s final.
