Argentina minus Messi beats Chile to lead South American World Cup qualifying

Victory keeps Argentina top of the standings

Argentina, without Lionel Messi, defeated Chile 2-1 on Thursday in Calama, Chile, to maintain their lead in the South American World Cup qualifiers.

Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria scored for Argentina, while Alexis Sanchez scored for Chile.

The victory keeps Argentina top of the standings with 22 points from 10 matches, while Chile remains in seventh place with 13 points.

Messi out with injury for both matches

Messi did not play in either of Argentina's two matches during the international break due to a hamstring injury.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward is expected to return to action for Argentina's next match, against Uruguay on October 10.

Argentina in good position to qualify for World Cup

With Messi expected to return soon, Argentina is in a good position to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The top four teams in the South American qualifying group will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the fifth-place team will advance to an intercontinental playoff.

Argentina is currently in a good position to finish in the top four, and they will be confident of qualifying for the World Cup even if Messi is not available for every match.

Chile's hopes of qualifying fading

Chile's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup are fading after their defeat to Argentina.

The Chileans are now seven points behind fourth-place Ecuador, and they have only four matches remaining in the qualifying group.

Chile will need to win all of their remaining matches and hope that other results go their way if they want to qualify for the World Cup.

Other results in South American qualifying

In other South American qualifying matches on Thursday, Brazil defeated Venezuela 3-1, Ecuador beat Bolivia 3-0, and Uruguay drew 0-0 with Colombia.

Brazil remains top of the standings with 24 points from 10 matches, followed by Argentina (22 points), Ecuador (16 points), Uruguay (16 points), and Colombia (15 points).

The top four teams in the South American qualifying group will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the fifth-place team will advance to an intercontinental playoff.