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Argentina make light work of Bolivia in the difficult La Paz Stadium despite Messi's absence.
Argentina continued their winning run with a 3-0 victory over Bolivia despite being without captain and talisman Lionel Messi.
The Albiceleste travelled to La Paz Stadium, infamous for giving players a torrid time due to the high altitude placement of the pitch.
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20:52 - 12.09.2023
I won't argue with Messi — Tottenham coach comments on the Argentine's Romero claim
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou responds to Lionel Messi's praise of Christian Romero.
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12:28 - 12.09.2023
'Messi would never' - Angry sports fans react to fake news of Ronaldo's hotel helping Morrocco earthquake victims
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This probably influenced the decision to leave out the 36-year-old Messi, despite the MLS forward making the trip with the team. The Albiceleste found inspiration elsewhere, however, making light work of the opposition to maintain a perfect record in the COMMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
How it happened
Messi's age and claim that he will not be participating in the next World Cup have sparked conversations about Argentina's rebuild.
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The former Barcelona forward's importance to the team and his continued presence have led many to question if they can do it without him and when they should start trying.
The brutality of the MLS calendar and the physically demanding La Paz Stadium have given us a glimpse into this future without the Inter Miami striker, as Scaloni had to set up to play without him.
The world champions showed they were greater than the sum of their parts, exhibiting a dominant display against La Verde without their captain.
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Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring as early as the 31st minute of the game, running onto a low inswinger by Angel Di Maria.
Di Maria sets up Nicolas Tagliafico for the second goal in the 42nd minute, and Nicolas Gonzalez closes off the scoring in the 83rd minute, assisted by Exequiel Palacios.
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