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Argentina settled for a 1-1 draw in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against a stubborn Chile, as the national team returned to action for the first time since November. The home side paid homage to Diego Maradona, wearing a special jersey featuring an image of the legendary forward.
VAR came into play in this fixture as Argentina were awarded a penalty after Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the box in the 24th minute. Lionel Messi calmly dispatched the ball into the back of the net to score just his second goal in the qualifiers.
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The visiting side equalized within 12 minutes as Gary Medel made a great run to find himself completely unmarked in the box from a free-kick and managed to deliver a low cross to Alexis Sanchez, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net from close range.
When the game resumed after the break, Chile started strong but soon Messi took the charge and started getting into dangerous positions. The Barcelona man came close to scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute but his free-kick went behind after hitting the crossbar.
The left-footed maestro was denied a couple of great chances by former Barcelona teammate Claudio Bravo, who was the star of the show in the second half.
Argentina remain in second place with this draw, while Chile are now seventh following this game. Here, we take a look at the five talking points from this game as the teams put on a rusty display following a seven-month hiatus.
#5 Lionel Messi scored from the spot yet again
Lionel Messi has only scored twice in the World Cup Qualifiers this time around. Argentina have been a bit shy in front of goal this campaign but have managed to find the back of the net in each of their five games so far.
They have seven goals to their name and have conceded just three times, which is a reason why they are second only to Brazil in the standings.
Despite another great season with Barcelona, Messi has not been at his prolific best for the national side and has only scored twice, with both goals coming from the penalty spot. He last scored in the opening game of the qualifiers in October.
#4 Argentina and Chile both looked a bit rusty
The national teams played their first competitive game since November and it showed on the pitch. The players only had a few days to train together and thus the passing and transition from defense to attack wasn't as seamless as before.
Chile were without Arturo Vidal, hence they were a little unorganized in the middle of the mark but managed to hold onto a draw here. Messi also acknowledged the lack of training time and hoped to get better for the next game. He said:
"It's been a long time since we played together."
"We didn't have qualifiers for a while so it's not easy to get together without enough time to train and keep playing at the same level. But I think we were very good."
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano’s Transfer Roundup: Update on Lionel Messi’s contract, Chelsea’s plan for the summer and more
#3 A long way to go but Chile need to pick up the pace for a World Cup spot
Chile might have rescued a point against Argentina in this game but despite that, they are seventh in the standings, three places off the automatic qualification spot and two places off the play-offs spot.
Paraguay in fourth place have only two points more than Chile, so the third and fourth spot in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers are still up for grabs.
Chile's only win so far came against last-placed Peru, who've lost all but one of their five outings so far. Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal have scored all seven of their goals and Chile need to reduce their dependency on the duo if they want to avoid a repeat of the 2018 World Cup qualifying debacle, where they did not qualify.
#2 Claudio Bravo single-handedly saves Chile from a loss with an inspired second-half display
It seems goalkeepers in the modern day are aging like fine wine and despite what many might consider retirement age, a lot of these guardians have continued to deliver match-winning performances.
Claudio Bravo stepped up when his side needed him the most and was one of the best players on the pitch for the final 45 minutes of the game. He made as many as six saves throughout the game and though he conceded from the spot against Messi, he denied the La Liga top scorer two clear cut chances.
He made a full-stretch save from Messi's free-kick right at the death in the first half and then again produced a remarkable save from Messi's left-footed strike three minutes from the final whistle.
#1 Lionel Messi's goal and work rate helped Argentina extend their unbeaten record
Lionel Messi might've scored just one goal in the game but he was one of the best players on the pitch and could've easily scored at least one more. He came close once from a direct free-kick, only to be denied by Bravo and later the 38-year-old produced a reflex save to keep the score level in the second half.
Argentina are now unbeaten at home against Chile in 35 matches, and have gone 12 games without defeat since losing to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinal. Messi's contribution to these results have been massive and, as he displayed today, he will be Argentina's key man for the upcoming Copa America.
Also See: Ranking the 10 best players in the UEFA Champions League this season (2020/21)
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