Lionel Messi scored three goals (a hat-trick) to lead the Argentine national football team to achieve a major victory over its guest, Bolivia, 6-0, in the match that brought them together on Tuesday evening (Thursday morning GMT) in the tenth round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Messi scored his three goals in the 19th, 84th and 86th minutes, while Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Nazareno Bazán added the other three goals in the 43rd and final minutes of the first half and 69th.
With this victory, the Argentine national team maintained its lead in the qualifiers with 22 points gained from 10 matches, a full three points ahead of the second-placed Colombia national team.
On the other hand, the Bolivia national team’s balance stopped at 12 points in seventh place, one point behind Ecuador and Paraguay, who are in fifth and sixth places, respectively.
Messi said in a statement after the match: “We enjoyed it, we are happy to be playing here in Argentina.”
Messi refused to talk about whether he would participate in the upcoming 2026 World Cup, and said: “This may be one of the last matches (matches held in front of Argentine fans).”