Lionel Messi proved he is back to full fitness after scoring both goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Messi, who was included in the squad despite having been sidelined in recent weeks with a muscle problem, came on as a substitute in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Paraguay but was on the pitch from the start of the game in Lima.
The 36-year-old put the world champions ahead in the 32nd minute with a superb shot after an assist from Nicolas Gonzalez, and made it 2-0 10 minutes later with a fierce finish from Enzo Fernandez’s pass.
Messi was denied a hat-trick in the second half after he had a goal disallowed for offside following a VAR review. In other qualifiers on Tuesday, Uruguay beat Brazil 2-0 with Neymar forced to leave the field after suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Venezuela cruised past Chile 3-0, Paraguay beat 1-0 Bolivia and Ecuador draw 0-0 against Colombia.
Argentina, who remain top of the CONMEBOL standings, will host Uruguay on November 16 before taking on Brazil five days later. Peru face Bolivia and Venezuela in the next round of qualifiers.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Late Tibz’s mother has died
The mother of the late celebrity chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane has passed away. Tibz died on the 10th of February after being shot alongside his friend, AKA in Durban.
ZiMoja reports that the chef is the only child of his mother, Ryhab Niniwe Motsoane. Ryhab died at the age of 77, on 5 October and she was buried over the past weekend. A source opened up about the bond the son and mother shared before their death. Read more
