Buenos Aires: Argentina scored a 3-0 victory in the South American Qualifiers match against Chile to maintain their pole position in the group. Further, the victory was special as it was the first occasion after 11 years when the team won without their star players - Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.
Argentina have celebrated victories over the years thanks to the performance of the duo in the field. However, it was a rare occurrence on Friday when both of them were missing from the lineup.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for the Argentinian side in the 48th minute while Julin Ivarez extended the lead by 2-0. Paulo Dybala scored the third goal in the back in the 90th minute to ensure a victory for the side. The team now have 18 points after seven rounds.
The six teams will qualify for the tournament through the South American standings will qualify for the World Cup while the seventh will advance to playoffs against another confederation.
Di Maria retired from the match while Messi was absent due to a right ankle injury in the final against Colombia. The team later paraded its Copa America trophy around the ground.
The last time when Messi and Di Maria both missed an official match was on October 15, 2013, against Uruguay in the final round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Messi was missing from the lineup due to a right thigh injury while Di Maria was rested by coach Alejandro Sabella as Argentina had already qualified for the marquee tournament. The team lost against 2-3 to Uruguay.
