The Argentine national football team drew 1-1 against Venezuela on Thursday, maintaining its lead in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
With this draw in the ninth round of qualifiers, Argentina secured 19 points, three ahead of Colombia, which lost earlier in the day to Bolivia.
Heavy rain shortly before the match at the Monumental Stadium in Maturín, northeastern Venezuela, delayed the start by half an hour.
“It was unplayable with so much water; the game was very ugly and clumsy; we couldn’t connect two passes in a row. It’s difficult; there was very little play,” Lionel Messi said in an interview.
“We drew because the field didn’t assist what we wanted to do; we had to fight, take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes, and not take many risks at the back,” he added.
Despite the delay, the pitch did not improve, and the large amount of water buildup prevented both teams from executing their usual game, leading to an emphasis on aerial balls.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Nicolás Otamendi, following a free kick by Lionel Messi and a poor clearance by goalkeeper Rafael Romo.
Struggling to play on the ground, Venezuela responded with several long-range attempts.
The most significant chance came in the 39th minute when Salomón Rondón’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli and then cleared off the line by Otamendi.
At the start of the second half, the home side, managed by Argentine Fernando Batista, threatened again with a header from Yangel Herrera, which was saved by Rulli after a corner kick from the left.
Venezuela equalized in the 64th minute with a header by Rondón, set up by a nice play from Yeferson Soteldo on the left flank.
Argentina nearly scored their second goal in the 72nd minute when Messi was one-on-one with the goal after a through ball from Rodrigo De Paul, but Romo denied the Argentine captain.
In the upcoming round on Tuesday, Argentina will host Bolivia at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, while Venezuela will face Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asunción.