With two goals scored by Lionel Messi in the first half, Argentina defeated Peru 0-2 away this Thursday and reaffirmed itself with a perfect campaign in the leadership of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
| Match | Score | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | 31′, 41′ Messi |
| Peru | - | - |
Twelve points out of a possible twelve and with three rivals as immediate pursuers five away.
Messi exhibited all his technical resources to tip the balance in favor of the Albiceleste with two precise shots when 32 and 42 minutes of the match were played at the National Stadium in Lima.
The world champions were faced with a Peru that sought better luck but, beyond having a couple of clear options in the first, felt the pressure of having half to escape from the penultimate position of the qualifying rounds, in which they finally it keeps.
After controlling the ball in their field for much of the first half, it was enough for Argentina to launch a deep attack in the 32nd minute for Messi to open the account with a high shot from the center of the area after a cross from the left. . By Nico González.
Ten minutes later, the Argentines sent another quick counterattack and Messi increased the numbers after a cross from Enzo Fernández that Julián Álvarez could not connect with but was left free to launch a low shot from the edge of the area to leave goalkeeper Pedro Gallese with no options.
The Peruvians felt the impact of these scores, which were made when they had balanced the actions and had even launched two deep attacks that were not well resolved by the defense Luis Abram and by Paolo Guerrero, who with a powerful shot from the right tested their reflexes. . by Dibú Martínez.
From then on, Argentina maintained its clear superiority in the game and controlled all the attempts of a Bicolor that at the beginning of the second half ordered the entry of Renato Tapia, Bryan Reyna, Miguel Trauco and Joao Grimaldo.
With Guerrero among the players who left the field, Peru refreshed its offensive line but lacked depth, as most of its attempts dissolved on the lines, despite the impetus of Reyna, Grimaldo and Zanelatto, who in his debut . Absolutely with the Bicolor he was the most outstanding player of the local team until he left the playing field, at 67, replaced by Sergio Peña.
Beyond these sporadic attempts, Argentina maintained control of the game and even scored a third goal in the 60th minute, which was annulled by the referee after reviewing the VAR, due to an offside position.
When 77 minutes were played, Lionel Scaloni ordered the entry of Lautaro Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso and Marcos Acuña, replacing Julián Álvarez, Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Tagliafico, which did not change the development of the game and maintained the solid scheme shown by Argentina in the Peruvian capital.
Peru will play against Argentina this Tuesday, October 17 in a match for the Conmebol World Cup Qualifiers. Here you will find all the information you need to know about this game, including how to watch it on TV or live stream in your country. The Argentine National Team had an unbeatable start in the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. After the victories over Ecuador and Bolivia, they beat Paraguay by the minimum to remain as the only leader of the competition. Now, it is time to face Peru in Lima. Find out the schedules, TV channels, streaming link and important statistics of the protagonists.
Argentina arrives to the duel in Lima in its best moment since it lifted the World Cup last December and started its path to the 2026 World Cup with three resounding victories: a 1-0 win over Ecuador, a historic 3-0 defeat of Bolivia in La Paz without Messi and another 1-0 win over Paraguay, in the last matchday.
Peru, which has just begun the era of Juan Reynoso, after the departure of Ricardo Gareca, is in a very different situation. It started in Asuncion with a 0-0 draw against Paraguay and then suffered an agonizing 1-0 home defeat against Brazil. And last Thursday, they lost 2-0 in the Pacific Classic in Chile, which left the Bicolor second to last in the standings with just one point.
Broadcast rights for Argentina’s home World Cup qualifiers in the United States have been secured by Telemundo and Univision. However, that deal does not cover away matches and means fans will have to access streaming service Fanatiz USA to watch the action. Fanatiz will also show Peru vs. Argentina in Canada.
| Time | 50 states of the United States |
|---|---|
| 10:00 p. m. ET (UTC-5) | Virginia Occidental, Velmont, Tennessee (EST), South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pensilvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Michigan (EST), Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Kentucky (EST), Indiana (EST), Georgia, Florida (EST), District of Columbia, Delaware, Connecticut. |
| 9:00 p. m. CT (UTC-5) | Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee (CST), South Dakota (CST), Oklahoma, North Dakota (CST), Nebraska (CST), Minnesota, Mississippi, Misuri, Michigan (CST), Kentucky (CST), Kansas (CST), Iowa, Indiana (CST), Illinois, Florida (CST), Arkansas, Alabama. |
| 8:00 p. m. MT (UTC-5) | Wyoming, Utah, Texas (El Paso y Hudspeth), South Dakota(MST), Oregón (MST), North Dakota (MST), New México, Nevada (MST), Nebraska (MST), Montana, Kansas (MST), Idaho (MST), Colorado, Arizona. |
| 7:00 p. m. PT (UTC-5) | Washington, Oregón (PST), New Hampshire, Nevada (PST), Idaho (PST), California. |
The 2026 World Cup qualifier will be held on Tuesday, October 17, at Estadio Nacional in Lima. The match will kick off at 9:00 p.m. local time. Here’s how that translates to time zones in different regions around the world:
| COUNTRY | DATE | KICKOFF TIME |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Tue, Oct. 17 | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| Canadá | Tue, Oct. 17 | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Wed, Oct. 18 | 3:00 a.m. BST |
| Australia | Wed, Oct. 18 | 12:00 p.m. AEST |
| India | Wed, Oct. 18 | 7:30 a.m. IST |
| Hong Kong | Wed, Oct. 18 | 10:00 a.m. HKT |
| Malaysia | Wed, Oct. 18 | 10:00 a.m. MYT |
| Singapore | Wed, Oct. 18 | 10:00 a.m. SGT |
| New Zealand | Wed, Oct. 18 | 3:00 p.m. NZST |
ViX Premium is a Pay Per View service in the United States that has two plans for its subscribers: monthly ($6.99) and annual (39.99). On this streaming platform, you can watch television series, movies, documentaries, live soccer matches, and other sports.
| FANATIZ | PRICE |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $6.99 |
| Annual | $39.99 |
It is a live television streaming service with news, sports and entertainment content, with numerous associated signals, and which currently has more than 1.2 million subscribers.
The platform broadcasts tournaments such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, Liga MX, UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores; news networks such as CNN, Fox News and MSNBC; and entertainment channels, such as AMC, TBS and HGTV. It currently has two subnoscription plans:
Peru will hope to rebound from a 2-0 loss Thursday at Chile, conceding two second-half goals after not registering a shot on target. That result put head coach Juan Reynoso’s side ninth in South America’s World Cup qualifying standings, taking just one point (0W-2L-1D) from three matches thus far.
With nerves building around La Blanquirroja, they’ll likely need a heroic performance from Gallese in goal against Argentina. The same could apply to left back Miguel Trauco (San Jose Earthquakes) and center backs Luis Abram (Atlanta United) and Miguel Araujo (Portland Timbers), who will surely be under pressure if called upon.
t’s been smooth sailing for Argentina throughout World Cup qualifiers, going three-for-three after wins over Ecuador (1-0), Bolivia (3-0) and Paraguay (1-0). The latter result occurred on Thursday, whereby center back Nicolás Otamendi’s early strike was enough against a foe led by former Atlanta United star Miguel Almirón.
The million-dollar question around La Albiceleste is how much Messi will play as he continues to recover from injury. Inter Miami’s No. 10 subbed on for Julián Álvarez in the 53rd minute vs. Paraguay, helping see out the victory at Estadio Monumental.
Argentina leads the history of matches against Peru by a wide margin. So far, there have been 53 encounters; the Argentine national team has won 34 times, the Inca team has been victorious on 5 occasions and they have drawn 14 times.
The last meeting was on October 14, 2021, for the South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022; Argentina won 1-0 with a goal by Lautaro Martínez at the Monumental Stadium.
Contenido GEC