Lionel Messi is expected to captain Argentina in its final home game of 2022 World Cup qualifying when the No. 4 team in the world welcomes last-place Venezuela at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Friday night.
Undefeated Argentina (35 points) long ago qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and have sat comfortably in second place behind Brazil for the majority of the qualifying campaign. There is one final match remaining in their schedule: Tuesday’s qualifying finale against another qualified team, Ecuador.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni is expected to use Friday’s match to continue fine-tuning his squad, which has a number of absences. It will give him the chance to give playing time to a few of the young recruits who have been given an opportunity to join the senior squad. The Albiceleste also have an active 29-match unbeaten streak and are closing in on Italy’s record 37 matches undefeated.
Venezuela is looking for a result that can inject some optimism into a side that has won just three of 16 matches. The Vinotinto brought in Argentine coach Jose Pekerman in November to help right the ship with the 2024 Copa America the new focus. A strong defensive performance, even in a narrow loss, would likely be seen as a successful showing for a team that lost its last match 4-1 in Uruguay.
Sporting News is following the match live and providing live score updates, commentary.
MORE: Which teams are in the 2022 World Cup draw?
Argentina vs. Venezuela live score
| 1 HOUR | 2H | Final | |
| Argentina | 1 | 0 | — |
| Venezuela | 0 | 0 | — |
goals:
ARG — Nico Gonzalez (Rodrigo De Paul) — 36th
(All times Eastern)
72nd min: YELLOW — The fourth Venezuela player in the book. It’s right back Roberto Rosales for a late foul on Nico Gonzalez.
70th minute: SUB — Angel Di Maria comes on for Alexis Mac Allister. Lionel Messi likely to move back into midfield.
70th minute: YELLOW — Yangel Herrera clips Messi with the ball long gone, and he goes in the book. And the Argentina players stand up for their captain. They didn’t like that.
67th minute: YELLOW — Jhon Chancellor goes in the book for his latest foul, this on Angel Correa. Nothing comes from the free kick which is about five yards outside the box.
63rd min.: SUBS—Change at forward for Argentina. Inter Milan’s Joaquin Correa out and Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa in. do not relate
62nd min: SUBS — Forward Fernando Aristeguieta and midfielder Luis Gonzalez come on for Josef Martinez and Cristian Casseres. Venezuela coach Jose Pekerman feels there’s something in this for his team. That’s an attack-minded move.
61st min: What a chance for Alexis MacAllister! Right back Nahuel Molina goes all the way to the end line and whips in a cutback cross which finds Mac Allister all alone. But he tries to pick out the corner and can’t find it. He was all alone.
54th minute: Another chance for Josef Martinez! Venezuela have numbers forward and Cristian Casseres whips in a cross that Josef Martinez can’t redirect. His timing of him on the header was just off.
49th min.: Venezuela came out of the locker to challenge, banging bodies and pressing. Some hard fouls to start the half by the Vinotinto, but they’re playing right on the edge. They’re not letting up.
46th min.: SUB — Venezuela bring on Jhon Murillo for left back Miguel Navarro, who was on a yellow. Murillo is a forward and Venezuela might be going for it, switching from a 5-4-1 to a 4-3-3 (Makoun is now the left back).
Halftime: Argentina 1, Venezuela 0
half-time: It was a confident and composed first-half showing from Argentina, which needed to work at softening up the Venezuelan backline and finding spaces before the attack really started flowing. Captain Lionel Messi did most of the probing across the front of the attack and in between the lines. But it was Rodrigo De Paul who found the gap, showing up unmarked to deliver the cross for the goal.
Venezuela were competent for most of the half and showed a commitment to defending and throwing bodies in front of shots. But the Vinotinto midfield can’t keep the ball for long because it’s made up of destroyers and not possession-based players. Still, it’s a respectable showing for the last-place visitors (as long as they keep defending like this).
39th minute: And on the other end of the field, Venezuela nearly replicates the Argentina goal. Rondon sends the cross from the left, but it’s a waist-high cross and Josef Martinez ca n’t get his body from him squared up and he sends it out. Best look at goal for Venezuela.
36th minute: Goal Argentina! Nico Gonzalez gets it, knocking home to Rodrigo De Paul cross from the right. Not one picked up De Paul, who pushed up out of midfield into the space. He had all the time to deliver a low, driven cross and Gonzalez read it the whole way.
Watch Messi get frustrated, then De Paul makes him happy with an unbelievable pass to Nicolas Gonzalez who scores the first goal of this #CONMEBOL #WCQ pic.twitter.com/xaoLqsXAJy
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) March 26, 2022
34th minute: Best chance of the game for Argentina. Messi sends Joaquin Correa through and his shot from him is stopped by Farinez with a sprawling save.
30th min.: Shot by Nico Gonzalez after another attempt to penetrate the Venezuela box by Argentina. There was a quick check for a potential hand ball by Venezuela, but the referee orders play to resume.
29th minute: The game is being played between the two penalty areas. Argentina finding a hard time getting through the Venezuelan wall. They’re trying to use quick combinations to get through, but it’s proving difficult for the home team.
16th minute: Argentina’ keeper Franco Armani comes off his line to intercept a long ball to Rondon. Venezuela are starting to feel more comfortable coming out of their shell.
12th minute: Venezuela left back Miguel Navarro is carded for using a high arm to stop a Messi run. Nothing comes from the free kick.
8th minute: Salomon Rondon with Venezuela’s first shot and it finishes well wide. Something to note on Argentina’s front line. Messi is centrally located as a ‘false 9’ with Joaquin Correa on the left and Nico Gonzalez in the right channel.
4th minute: Messi with the first shot of the game and Venezuela’ keeper Wuilker Farinez makes the low stop.
1st minute: We’re off. Argentina has the early possession for the entire first minute of the game. Lionel Messi is cheered when he touches the ball for the first time. Venezuela coach Jose Pekerman gave him his Argentina debut.
In what may be his last official match with the #Selection on Argentine soil, Lionel #Messi he was reunited with Jose #Pekerman, DT who made him debut with the albiceleste. 🥲🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/Rn48VbG6T2
– ESPN Soccer Argentina (@ESPNFutbolArg) March 25, 2022
7:23 p.m.: National anthems begin with Venezuela. Salomon Rondon is wearing the captain’s armband for the Vinotinto.
6:30 pm: There’s clearly only one result that anyone can realistically project.
Argentina against Venezuela:
Matches: 26
Argentina wins: 22
Venezuela wins: 2
Draws: 2This via the AFA. pic.twitter.com/d1NsRVUUGZ
—Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) March 25, 2022
Argentina vs. Venezuela line-ups
Argentina will be missing four players who received two-game FIFA suspensions for not following health protocols ahead of September’s Brazil-Argentina match, which was eventually suspended by local health officials: Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendia .
Marcos Acuna, Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro “Papu” Gomez are sidelined by knocks and Lautaro Martinez is unavailable after testing positive for COVID-19. Joaquin Correa takes his spot at center forward. Angel Di Maria and Angel Correa were both reported to face fitness tests in the run-up to the game, and they both started on the bench.
Argentina line-up (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Franco Armani (GK) — 3-Nicolas Tagliafico, 19-Nicolas Otamendi, 6-German Pezzella, 13-Nahuel Molina — 8-Alexis Mac Allister, 5-Leandro Paredes 7-Rodrigo De Paul — 16-Joaquin Correa, 10 -Lionel Messi, 15-Nico Gonzalez
Argentina subs (12): 23-Rulli (GK), 12-Musso (GK), 2-Martinez Quarta, 4-Foyth, 18-G. Rodriguez, 14-Palacios, 20-Lanzini, 17-Ocampos, 11-Di Maria, 21-A. Correa, 22-Boye, 9-Alvarez
Venezuela also have a few absences: Yeferson Soteldo, Oscar Gonzalez and Tomas Rincon are all suspended, while Yordan Osorio, Junior Moreno and Eduard Bello are out due to injury. Yangel Herrera is in the lineup for the first time since the June 2021 Copa America, where he fractured his tibia.
Venezuela line-up (5-3-2, left to right): 1-Wuilker Farinez (GK) — 19-Miguel Navarro, 3-Christian Makoun, 4-Jhon Chancellor, 2-Nahuel Ferraresi, 16-Roberto Rosales — 8-Cristian Casseres, 6-Yangel Herrera, 13-Jose Martinez — 23- Salomon Rondon, 17-Josef Martinez
Venezuela subs (12): 22-Romo (GK), 12-Graterol (GK), 20-Hernandez, 14-Mago, 5-Segovia, 11-Machis, 18-Otero, 7-Savarino, 21-La Mantia, 10-Gonzalez, 15-Murillo , 9-Aristeguieta
MORE: Remaining South American World Cup qualifying schedule
| Position, team | PTS | gp | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Brazil (X) | 42 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 5 | +31 |
| 2. Argentina (X) | 35 | fifteen | 10 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 7 | +16 |
| 3. Ecuador (X) | 25 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 18 | +8 |
| 4. Uruguay (X) | 25 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | twenty | 22 | -two |
| 5. Peru | twenty-one | 17 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 22 | -5 |
| 6. Columbia | twenty | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| 7. Chili | 19 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 19 | 24 | -5 |
| 8. Paraguay (AND) | 16 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 24 | -12 |
| 9.Bolivian (AND) | fifteen | 17 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 23 | 39 | -16 |
| 10. Venezuela (AND) | 10 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 14 | 30 | -16 |
(X) Qualified to World Cup. (E) Eliminated from World Cup contention.
How to watch Argentina vs Venezuela
- Date: Friday, March 25
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- US streaming: fuboTV
Friday’s match between Argentina and Venezuela from Buenos Aires will be broadcast live in the USA exclusively on fuboTV, as is the case with every South American World Cup qualifier.
Argentina vs Venezuela betting odds
Odds courtesy of Draft Kings
Argentina are the overwhelming favorites for this match, and with good reason: it’s the No. 4 team in the world against the No. 58 team.
With home advantage, Lionel Messi as captain and a Venezuela side with still plenty to iron out, there’s no reason for Argentina fans not to expect a comfortable win.
- Moneyline: Argentina -650/Draw +750/Venezuela +1600
- Spread: Argentina -2.5 (+125)/Venezuela +2.5 (-165)
- Over/Under 3.5 goals: Over +125/Under -155
- Both teams to score: Yes +150/No -195
www.sportingnews.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism