Argentina utterly dominated Paraguay from start to finish, both with and without Lionel Messi, and scooped up three points in the process, though it was a little nervy at the end.

Argentina pummeled their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying opponents from the start in Buenos Aires, and Nicolas Otamendi’s fourth-minute goal seemed to anticipate a coming onslaught. But that was all Argentina got, and while it was enough for a 1-0 win, they could have had a lot more.

Even Lionel Messi, who came off the bench shortly after halftime, couldn’t change the narrative, hitting the post twice, one directly off a corner.

Lautaro Martinez, Rodrigo de Paul, and Nico Gonzalez were all busy in the final third and had many chances, but none were able to score the game-winning second goal. Nonetheless, Emiliano Martinez kept another clean sheet as Paraguay failed to create more than one decent attacking chance.

The shutout set an Argentine national team record, as Argentina has not been breached since Kylian Mbappe’s dramatic 118th-minute equalizer in the 2022 World Cup final. Additionally, as Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni has never lost a World Cup qualifying match.