The global look does not admit objections. Argentina won the qualifying phase for the World Cup 2026 drawing 9 points ahead to the second, Ecuadorand classifying several days before. He made many convincing productions, generated interesting spare parts and learned to play without Lionel Messito the point that he thrashed Brazil without genius. A fabulous path. Of course, the last chapter on this tour of the World Cup was the opposite.
He suffered in Guayaquil. He had no football elaboration or depth. He did not generate goal situations and also offered solidity to endure. And he ended up losing with total justice against this hard Ecuador of Sebastián Beccacece. It was a 0-1 fall, but it could have been for a greater difference. Above Nicolás Otamendi, who would stay out of the World Cup debut.
Perhaps in history this party is recorded as the first in which Franco Mastantuono He wore the 10 albiceleste, becoming the youngest player in the history of Argentina to use that number and surpassing one Diego Maradona.
Mastantuono made history against Ecuador, but did not shine
There was no case with Argentina. The match in Guayaquil cost him a enormity, both collectively and individually. The only rescued was Emiliano Martínez. Draw stop two decisive balls (Aner Valencia and Nilson Angulo) with the match matched at zero and a third in the second half (to Kevin Rodríguez), when the albiceleste was already a goal below.
Without Lionel Messi (reserved by caution), Scaloni opted for an idea with less ambitions than usual. He gathered Rodrigo de Paul in the midfield with Leandro Paredes. In front of both, Giuliano Simeone, Alexis Mac Allister and Nicolás González. And as the only striker-delantero, Lautaro Martínez. And the proposal did not flow.
Ecuador imposed greater presence in the midfield and offensive and ruled development, except for a while in the second half. It is real for Argentina to suffer the expulsion of Otamendi at 30 minutes of the first part, for a foul against Enner Valencia, who left only after a lazy coverage of Leonardo Balerdi.
However, at this point the Beccacece team has already deserved to achieve that advantage that he achieved about the closure of the initial 45 minutes with a penalty-various for a debatable high foul from Nicolás Tagliafico to Angelo Preciado, an arbitration decision executed by Enner Valencia with a shot to the goal of the goal.
Otamendi ended up expelled with direct red due to foul at Valencia
It is also true that at the start of the final part, the lazy Colombian judge Wilmar Roldán compensated by expelling Moisés Caicedo for double yellow, the first fair but the second exaggerated. And there, again in numerical equality, in that case 10 against 10, Argentina also did not react in the game and continued without scaring Ecuador. He barely did it with a shot by Giovani Lo Celso blocked by Willian Pacho.
The changes to Scaloni did not result. Mastantuono entered averaging the second half, requested it and showed it, but did not unbalance. And he triggered doubts about the technician’s decision to get Lautaro when he put Julián Álvarez. Wasn’t it better to gather the two striker-centros with the team losing?
Technical file
1 – Ecuador: Hernán Galíndez; Ángelo Preciado (m.46, Jhon Yeboah) (m.93, Alan Minda), Joel Ordonez, Willian Pacho, Piero emphasis; Moisés Caicedo, Alan Franco, Pedro Vite, Nilson Angulo (m.59, Jordy Alcívar); Gonzalo Plata (m.69, Kevin Rodríguez) and Enner Valencia (m.59, Kendry Páez).
Coacator: Guillermo Martino.
0 – Argentina: Emiliano Martínez; Gonzalo Montiel, Leonardo Belardi, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo de Paul (M.69, Giovani Lo Celso), Leandro Paredes (m.62, Franco Mastantuono), Alexis Mac Allister, Giuliano Simeone (m.37, Juan Foyth); Nicolás González and Lautaro Martínez (M.63, Julián Álvarez).
Coacator: Lionel Scaloni.
Goal: 1-0, m.45+13, Enner Valencia.
Referee: Wilmar Roldán, from Colombia. He admonished Lautaro Martínez (m.8), Caicedo (m.16), silver (m.26), Preciado (m.45), Tagliafico (m.65) and Belardi (m.80). He expelled Otamendi for direct red (m.31) already Caicedo for double yellow card (M.50).
Incidents: Party of the last day of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, played at the Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo Stadium in Guayaquil, before some 40,000 spectators.
The point is that Argentina could not put the best closure to a large tie, a competition that Messi had the top scorer with 8 goals. Now it will only be a matter of playing friendly to the World Cup (in October with Venezuela and Puerto Rico, both in the US) and perhaps the finalism pending against Spain is confirmed.
