Lionel Messi became the top scorer in South American World Cup qualifiers, thanks to a double against Peru.
Before the match, Messi and his former teammate Luis Suarez both had 29 goals, leading the list of top scorers in the history of the tournament. Two goals in Lima on the morning of October 18 helped the Argentine captain break away, taking sole possession of this record with 31 goals.
Messi helped Argentina extend their unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying since 2017. Photo: Telam
Messi scored in the 32nd and 42nd minutes to help Argentina beat Peru 2-0. This is an opponent that has kept the Inter Miami striker quiet in all three of his recent away matches. Messi could have had a hat-trick had his goal in the 57th minute not been ruled out by VAR for offside.
Messi reached this record after 63 appearances in the South American World Cup qualifiers. If counting the qualifiers of all regions in the world, the 36-year-old striker is fourth behind Carlos Ruiz (39 goals for Guatemala), Cristiano Ronaldo (36 goals for Portugal), Ali Daei (36 goals for Iran) and has surpassed Robert Lewandowski - who scored 30 goals for Poland.
Of the 31 goals Messi has scored in World Cup qualifiers, four came in 2010, 10 in 2014, seven in 2018, seven in 2022 and three in 2026. Of these, 29 were scored when Argentina won, one in a draw and one in a defeat.
Among the teams that Messi has scored against, Ecuador has conceded the most goals with 6, followed by Uruguay (5 goals), Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela (4 goals), Colombia and Paraguay (3 goals), Peru (2 goals). Messi has never scored against Brazil in World Cup qualifying and will have the chance to do so when the two teams meet at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on November 21.
Messi's goals have been scored under a number of coaches. Sixteen years ago, he scored his first goal against Venezuela in a 2-0 win under Alfio Basile, and then added two more under the same coach. Similarly, the 36-year-old striker scored three goals under Edgardo Bauza and Jorge Sampaoli, one with Diego Maradona and one with Gerardo Martino. His two goals against Peru took his tally of World Cup qualifiers under Lionel Scaloni to 10, equalling the record he had with Alejandro Sabella.
Duy Doan (according to Telam )
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