With a sublime free kick in the 78th minute, Lionel Messi led Argentina to a narrow 1-0 win against South American foes Ecuador. 

The Buenos Aires audience held its collective breath as the World Cup champion stepped up to take a free kick, like they do every time. The Inter Miami player then curled the ball over the wall and into the near corner of the goal. 

Hernan Galindez, the goalkeeper for Ecuador, could only watch helplessly as the first goal against his team was scored in the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

Argentine fans went wild when they saw their beloved No. 10 come off the bench in the 89th minute.

Paraguay and Peru played to a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifying match, while Colombia defeated Venezuela 1-0 on their home stadium.

Argentina, the current world champions, were dissatisfied in attack despite their possession dominance. 

On Friday, Uruguay will host Chile in a CONMEBOL qualifier, while Brazil will take on Bolivia. 

With the goal, Messi tied Luis Suarez, a personal friend and former colleague of his at Barcelona, for first place on the all-time list of goals scored in the CONMEBOL WCQ. 

On September 12, Argentina will play Bolivia in a World Cup qualifying match at La Paz.

Inter Miami will host Sporting Kansas City on September 9 without Messi.

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