Argentina vs Chile: Messi benched as 17-year-old Real Madrid target Franco Mastantuono makes history

The 17-year-old Argentine wonderkid Franco Mastantuono made history as he became the youngest Argentine to feature in an official match. The River Plate academy product is Real Madrid bound after PSG were initially leading the race for his signature, but when Real came calling, the choice from the player was relatively straightforward.

The match was as physical as expected since it was a CONMEBOL qualifier with Chile involved. Veterans Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal are still representing La Roja, but you’d wonder where Gary Medel is these days. He was omitted from the Copa America squad last year and is still playing club football in Chile while trying to pursue a coaching career as well.

Chile, once a force in Latin American football, is in rebuild mode with Argentine manager Ricardo Gareca integrating the next generation into his starting eleven. A victory against Argentina at home would have given them a glimmer of hope to clinch at least the playoff position, but now it looks like their hopes of featuring in the next World Cup are over after the 1-0 loss.

With only three games remaining, they sit 10th at the bottom of the table, with seventh place securing a playoff spot but five points behind Venezuela, who also have a game in hand.

Their rebuild must continue with promising players like Osorio, Aravena, and Cepeda in their ranks — it will take time. Argentina have already qualified, allowing Scaloni to experiment with his squad.

Lionel Messi started on the bench — a sight we must get accustomed to now. Lionel Scaloni is managing his minutes carefully. As widely reported, he will start against Colombia, but as a veteran, he can’t play the full 90 minutes in every match for Argentina. However, he remains a difference-maker with whatever minutes he’s given.

He entered in the 57th minute for Nico Paz (another talented youngster) and towards the end of the match, the maestro produced an absolute peach of a through ball that split Chile’s defence open, though Giuliano Simeone couldn’t provide the finishing touch. Messi was seen offering advice to younger talents while on the bench — how fortunate are they to learn from the greatest?

For Argentina, they didn’t need to be at their superior best to overcome Chile. They’re accustomed to winning in different ways under Scaloni, and here they ground out a result despite being sloppy in possession during the second half in a hostile atmosphere.

They controlled much of the first half, keeping the ball at their will with Julian Alvarez scoring the match’s only goal in the 16th minute. He’s established himself as one of the world’s best strikers, but that goal was crafted by Thiago Almada, who orchestrated proceedings for the Albiceleste in the opening 45 minutes. Simeone worked tirelessly throughout, looking to cement his claim to the right-wing position.

Before Alvarez’s strike, Chile had the game’s first real opportunity, but Alexis Sanchez’s attempt was saved by Emi Martinez, who has been the stumbling block for Argentina’s rivals.

Cuti Romero wore the captain’s armband and was the only defender with all the answers to Chile’s brutal aggression. He was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle in the second half, fortunately escaping serious injury — part and parcel of Latin American encounters.

Balerdi delivered a solid defensive performance alongside Romero, showcasing his ball-playing abilities and contributing to the goalscoring move as well.

In the second half, Argentina became careless in possession as Chile pressed forward with substitutions. Gareca replaced two starting midfielders at the halftime, introducing Aravena for Osorio — a change that made an immediate impact. Chile subsequently hit the woodwork from a deflected effort and volleyed another attempt over the crossbar, but couldn’t create enough clear-cut chances as Argentina defended resolutely, as they consistently do under Scaloni.

However, these are the games that make us realise the value of Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, who control the proceedings when things go wrong — both weren’t included in the squad. Like I mentioned above, it’s experiment time for Scaloni, especially after long, tiring club season these have players had.

Argentina’s future appears bright, though one area requiring improvement is the full-back positions. Their ability to adapt and win matches in various ways under Scaloni’s guidance continues to serve them well in these challenging South American qualifiers.