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Lionel Messi didn't score, but is going to the World Cup
Photo:
Natacha Pisarenko / AP
Despite an uninspired superstar Lionel Messi, South American champions Argentina managed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar ahead of schedule thanks to a 0-0 win in Clásico against Brazil.
In the provincial city of San Juan, Selecao, who was also already qualified as the front runner, showed more fight than class without the injured star Neymar.
In a very intense game, both teams had too few scoring opportunities.
However, this did little to detract from the mood: the fans had queued for hours in the past few days to get a ticket and were happy to see the recently injured Messi live in action.
With four matchdays before the end of the qualification, in which the first four teams qualify for Qatar, Argentina now has twelve points ahead of fourth and fifth Colombia and Peru with the same points and a significantly better goal difference.
Since Colombia and Peru are still playing against each other and both can no longer make up these twelve points, Argentina has at least fourth place.
The Argentines also have one game less than the competition and still have a chance to score there.
Messi can thus plan for his fifth World Cup participation.
Red card after just twelve minutes
The inglorious highlight of the 14th matchday was a kung-fu flight by ex-Bundesliga professional Arturo Vidal in the game between Chile and Ecuador, who hit the Ecuadorian Felix Torres with the cleats in the face and after only twelve minutes he was red saw.
The 34-year-old from Inter Milan was to blame for the 0: 2 (0: 1) defeat of Chile, which was hoping to participate in the World Cup again after three wins.
Because the two-time world champions Uruguay failed 3-0 (0-2) in Bolivia and Colombia with a zero number at home against Paraguay, it is backing up behind Brazil (35 points), Argentina (29), now 27 games without defeat, and that Surprise third Ecuador (23).
For Colombia (17), which is currently fourth with the last direct ticket to the World Cup, it was the fifth game in a row without a goal, four of which ended 0-0.
Uruguay's record from the last five games is even worse: just one point and only one goal.
And so top striker Luis Suárez and his Urus colleagues (16) are initially hoping for fifth place, which, like in 2002, 2010 and 2014, could bring them to the World Cup via play-offs.
There is now Peru (17), who fulfilled their duty with a 2: 1 (1: 0) in the bottom group Venezuela.
But there are only two counters until the eighth table in Bolivia.
Four more laps are on the program, the next on January 27th.
For Brazil and Argentina, the game that was canceled after five minutes at the beginning of September has consequences.
aha / sid