Lionel Messi, despite hitting the post twice upon his return from injury, could not fully shine in a South American World Cup qualifying match as Argentina secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay Thursday.
The World Cup champions maintained a perfect record with three wins in three matches of the round-robin competition.
The sole goal of the game arrived in the third minute when a corner kick located Nicolas Otamendi unmarked in the penalty box, and the defender spectacularly volleyed the ball into the net with his left foot.
Messi, who recently dealt with muscular pains in his right leg that sidelined him for several matches at Inter Miami, found himself struggling to make a significant impact.
Coach Lionel Scaloni opted for Nico Gonzalez as his initial replacement, and Messi entered the match in the 52nd minute when Argentina was already leading.
While Messi's corner kick ten minutes into his appearance struck the post, his attempts at dribbling and delivering deep passes fell short of expectations.
In the dying moments of the match, there was a glimmer of hope for Argentina as Messi took a free-kick from the same spot where he had scored the winner against Ecuador in September, but his effort clanged against the right post.
Without their captain in the first half, Scaloni deployed an attacking duo of Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Paraguay, led by new coach Daniel Garnero in his debut match against Argentina, displayed limited attacking prowess.
The 54-year-old took over from Guillermo Barros Schelotto last month after the first two qualifiers.
Messi had missed four MLS matches for Inter Miami and the U.S. Open Cup final.
He only played for 10 minutes in Inter Miami's 1-0 loss to Cincinnati last Saturday. Additionally, he skipped Argentina's 3-0 victory over Bolivia in another World Cup qualifying match in September.
La Albiceleste now boast nine points, while Paraguay has one point in South American World Cup qualifying.
In the next World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the tournament is expanding to a 48-team format, with direct entry granted to the top six teams in South America.
The seventh-place team will face an intercontinental playoff for a qualification spot.
In an earlier match on Thursday, Colombia and Uruguay played to a thrilling 2-2 draw.
The experienced James Rodriguez opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute, with Matias Oliveira equalizing shortly before halftime.
Mateus Uribe restored Colombia's lead in the 52nd minute, but Uruguay managed to level the score from the spot just before the final whistle after a foul by goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who received a red card.
Colombia currently has five points from three games, while Uruguay has four.
Meanwhile, Ecuador secured a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in La Paz, with a goal in the final moments of the match.
Kendry Paez scored for the visitors shortly before halftime, and Rodrigo Ramallo equalized in the 83rd minute.
Kevin Rodriguez's late goal gave Ecuador its first three points in the qualifiers.
In later fixtures on Thursday, Brazil aimed to join Argentina at the top of the standings with a win against Venezuela, while Chile and Peru were also set to play.
