Argentina minus Messi beats Chile to lead South American World Cup qualifying

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Without injured Lionel Messi and the retired Ángel Di María, Argentina eased past Chile 3-0 on Thursday to remain on top of the South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 48, Julián Álvarez added a goal in the 84th and Paulo Dybala capped the scoring in the 90th for the Argentinians, who have 18 points after the first seven rounds.

The top six teams in the South American standings will qualify for the World Cup which will be played in the United States, México and Canada in 2026, The team that finishes seventh will advance to a playoff against another confederation.

After winning the Copa America in the United States, Argentina overcame the absence of the 37-year-old Messi, who suffered a right ankle injury in the final against Colombia. His future playing status remains uncertain.

Di María, who has retired from the national team, was honored by fans and his teammates before the match was played at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

The 37-year-old Di María played his last match with Argentina in the 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final. He was a national team member for Argentina for 16 years.

The team later paraded its Copa America trophy around the ground.

Earlier, Bolivia took advantage of a higher altitude at its new host city and defeated Venezuela 4-0 to record its second win in four matches at home.

Ramiro Vaca opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Carmelo Algarañaz converted a penalty kick in the 45th, Miguel Terceros in the 46th and Enzo Monteiro scored in the 89th.

The Bolivians used to play in the capital La Paz at 3,640 meters (11,940 feet) above sea level, but the South American soccer body CONMEBOL allowed them to move their games to El Alto, the second largest city in the country at an altitude of 4,150 meters (13,615 feet).

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The Associated Press