Thiago Almada produced a moment of magic to guide Argentina to a 1-0 away win over Uruguay in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
La Albiceleste travelled to Uruguay without the services of their all-time top goalscorer Lionel Messi and Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez, who are unable to feature in the international window due to injury.
As a result, Lionel Scaloni gave Giuliano Simeone, Julian Alvarez and Almada the chance to form the Argentina front three in Montevideo.
In truth, Argentina and Uruguay's respective forward lines struggled for clear-cut chances for the majority of the contest, with an uneven playing surface contributing to a cagey encounter.
Given the lack of opportunities, there was always a sense that it would take something special to find a winner in the Uruguayan capital.
Almada ultimately delivered such a moment in the 68th minute, producing a stunning effort from outside the box to put his team on course to claim all three points.
Argentina were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when Nico Gonzalez was dismissed for a high foot, but it had no effect on the result, as the visitors stood firm to extend their lead at the top of the standings to six points, while La Celeste are now eight points adrift in fourth position.
The 2022 World Cup winners are all but qualified for next year's tournament, and they now need just a single point to formally secure their ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
The pitch at the Estadio Centenario made for an attritional affair, and in truth, the contest could have easily have finished in a goalless draw.
With that said, Argentina deserved immense credit for producing a battling away display against a Uruguay side that had avoided defeat in their first six home games of the qualifying cycle.
Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa would have been bitterly disappointed that his team lacked a real goal threat, demonstrated by the fact that they registered just two shots on target.
The visitors ultimately did enough to nullify the home side's attacking talent, with their sturdy backline setting the foundation for a win that brought an end to their three-game winless away run in World Cup qualifying.
URUGUAY VS. ARGENTINA HIGHLIGHTS
Almada goal vs. Uruguay (68th min, Uruguay 0-1 Argentina)
Almada breaks the deadlock with a stunning effort. The attacker takes up an inside left position just outside the box to make himself available to Alvarez. Almada collects the pass and sets out of his feet before whipping an unstoppable strike out of Sergio Rochet's reach.
Gonzalez red card vs. Uruguay (94th min, Uruguay 0-1 Argentina)
Gonzalez's substitute appearance ends in a red card. The Juventus attacker appears to make an effort to connect with a dropping ball. However, rather than the ball, his high left boot makes contact with Nahitan Nandez, leaving the referee with no other choice but to go to his pocket.
MAN OF THE MATCH - THIAGO ALMADA
There is only one contender for the Man of the Match award after Almada produced the decisive moment to separate the two sides.
He was making just his seventh international appearance, but even if he goes on to win 100 caps, he will struggle to better the sensational strike that he conjured up to clinch all three points in Montevideo.
Almada's goal and impressive performance will go a long way to increasing his importance to his national team.
URUGUAY VS. ARGENTINA MATCH STATS
Possession: Uruguay 55%-45% Argentina
Shots: Uruguay 6-12 Argentina
Shots on target: Uruguay 2-4 Argentina
Corners: Uruguay 4-3 Argentina
Fouls: Uruguay 11-11 Argentina
BEST STATS
WHAT NEXT?
After claiming a hard-fought victory, Argentina will return home to start preparations for Tuesday's highly-anticipated clash against rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires.
As for Uruguay, they will look to produce a positive response when they travel to El Alto for a tricky away meeting with Bolivia on Tuesday.
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