In common slang, going in with your left foot usually means bad luck, but that’s not the case when it comes to Lionel Messi’s left foot. The Argentine champion started the qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup by defeating Ecuador 1-0, in a match that took place at dawn on Friday, and witnessed the participation of Benfica player Nicholas Otamendi between the main players and Di Maria from the bench.

The city of Buenos Aires welcomed the world champions, who suffered a lot to defeat the 40th seed in the FIFA rankings, and the star of Inter Miami, captain of the Albiceleste, watched the hero of the match when he scored a wonderful goal. A goal (78′) from a direct free kick, at a time when the “video” was already on the field.

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Enzo Fernandes, the former Benfica midfielder who now plays for Chelsea, was also among the initial choices for manager Lionel Scaloni, in the 22-year-old midfielder’s first match in the South American qualifiers for Argentina, despite already having the World Cup in history. .

As for Lionel Messi, it is the third goal from a direct free kick in the last 12 matches, which is the 65th goal for the Argentine in his career, thus equaling David Beckham in fifth place among the most goals-scoring players in this particular match. Leo is one goal away from achieving the record set by compatriot Victor Legrottaglie, who ended his career with 66 goals from free kicks, and is only surpassed by Brazilians Pele (70) and Juninho Pernambucano (77).