In what has become a familiar story for Argentina, Lionel Messi bailed them out with a moment of brilliance as La Albiceleste defeated Peru 1-0 in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.
The Inter Miami superstar beat three defenders to deliver an outrageous assist for Inter forward Lautaro Martinez, who scored with a stupendous overhead kick to secure all three points with his 55th-minute effort.
After a quiet first half, Argentina emerged from the break with a newfound vigour, and they netted their stunning winner 10 minutes into the second half. Peru, however, remained resilient, locking down defensively and shutting out Argentina the rest of the way while the hosts' strong defence, powered by their workhorse midfield duo of Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo De Paul, returned the favour to secure the result.
GOAL rates Argentina players from Estadio Alberto Jose Armando in Buenos Aires...