Chelsea are thought to be in the race to sign a new £50m+ striker, with Todd Boehly and co already registering an interest in his services.

Chelsea striker rumours

The Blues were quiet during the January transfer window, failing to make a marquee signing, with the focus at Stamford Bridge being on departures. It comes after Mauricio Pochettino admitted last month that the club would look into their attacking options after an injury to Christopher Nkunku.

"It's true that now in the next few days, we are going to see the situation. That's why I told you that I am a little worried”, said Pochettino.

"All of these situations make our job a little more difficult. I told you before that it is an exciting project but situations like this make it more difficult to change the situation and grow at a different pace."

Four forwards were offered to Chelsea as short-term solutions, including AZ Alkmaar’s Vangelis Pavlidis, Zenit St Petersburg’s Mateo Cassierra, Cercle Brugge’s Kevin Denkey and Atletico Mineiro’s Paulinho, whereas former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema was also linked.

However, attention will now be on the summer window, and it has been claimed that Napoli star Victor Osimhen has already chosen to join Chelsea. The Blues will know that a deal isn’t done until all the paperwork is signed, though, and it looks as if they have their eye on another striker plying his trade in Europe.

Chelsea make Jonathan David contact

According to Football Transfers in the last 48 hours, Lille forward Jonathan David has been gaining more interest in recent months. They report that Brentford are looking at the Canada international to replace Ivan Toney.

The Ligue 1 side could demand up to €60m (£51m) for David’s services, and it is added that Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Manchester United, have also registered their interest over a potential deal.

David, labelled an “absolutely massive” player for Lille by Zach Lowy, moved to France from KAA Gent back in 2020 and has gone from strength to strength for his current employers. The 24-year-old can play as a centre-forward or second striker and has seen his Transfermarkt valuation double since joining Lille.

This isn’t the first time he’s been linked with a move to Chelsea, with David saying last year after rumours of a move to Stamford Bridge under Graham Potter:

“It's flattering when you are praised but personally I don't know him. The Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the world, let's see what the future holds.

“I want to score as many goals as possible, not necessarily 20. If I can go much higher, I'll do that. But I take it game by game.”

As we know, Chelsea currently have Nicolas Jackson as their only senior striker option until the end of the season, so another marquee attacker appears to correctly be the priority in the summer, and by the looks of things, David is a player to keep an eye on ahead of the summer.

Southampton go into tonight's FA Cup clash with Liverpool viewing it very much as a free hit, with the Saints unravelling recently in the Championship.

Once confidently on a 25-match unbeaten run in all competitions, three defeats in their last four have seen Russell Martin's men crash back down to reality at a frightening pace.

Therefore, the prospect of facing off against Jurgen Klopp's Reds – who are still giddy off lifting the League Cup trophy on Sunday – is a daunting one especially with the backing of the Anfield masses cheering the hosts on to what they will hope is a straightforward victory.

Martin will just want his players to be fearless on the big stage tonight, with the Saints boss potentially bringing Joe Rothwell back into the first-team fold for the lengthy trip among other changes.

Joe Rothwell's season in numbers

Rothwell has been hit-and-miss in a Saints strip since making the loan switch from AFC Bournemouth this January, but did more than enough versus Millwall last time out from off the bench to push for a start against Liverpool.

The Cherries loanee would give Southampton another attacking presence late on at St. Mary's, as the promotion chasers looked to mount a comeback against the Lions.

Rothwell would miss one big chance from an impactful 30 minutes on the pitch, timidly hitting an effort right into Matija Šarkić's gloves to frustrate Martin's hosts.

Still, with only two misplaced passes managed from his cameo against Millwall, Rothwell could well be the calm head the Saints desire against the might of Liverpool tonight in the centre of the park.

Moreover, the 29-year-old has shown he can change a game in an instant for the Saints this season when called into action.

That was seen in the former Blackburn Rovers man bagging a brace against Huddersfield Town in the Championship earlier this month, sweetly hitting a first-time volley into the back of the net to help mount a sensational comeback before hammering home another effort as the Saints dramatically went on to win 5-3.

Martin will definitely be forced into one personnel change for the trip to Anfield away from Rothwell's potential inclusion, with Samuel Edozie looking likely to come in for an injured Ryan Fraser off the back of his lively Millwall display.

Samuel Edozie's performance vs Millwall in numbers

Edozie would play the majority of the contest against the relegation-threatened visitors, drafted in to replace Fraser after just 19 minutes.

The former Manchester City attacker has certainly played his way into Martin's starting XI plans as a result, the dynamic 21-year-old winger always trying to create an opening up against a stern Millwall defence.

Accurately completing six dribbles in the game, the Lions had to concentrate fully throughout to ensure one of Edozie's weaving darts forward didn't result in the back four being breached past Che Adams' strike.

Minutes played

71

Touches

75

Accurate passes

40/42 (95%)

Successful dribbles

6/12

Ground duels

12/21

Winning a staggering 12 ground duels in his side's favour also, Martin will hope to give Edozie a start from the get-go against Liverpool to see if the energetic forward can catch the Reds by surprise.

Described as an "exciting" talent in pre-season by his manager, who can "hurt" the opposition with his dangerous runs forward, Edozie could well unlock the Liverpool defence tonight to help steer Southampton to an unbelievable Cup upset.

If that isn't achieved however, and Edozie does still shine in spells against the Reds, he could well play himself into contention to start back in the Championship in the absence of Fraser who is expected to be sidelined for a month.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan shared the T20 tri-series trophy after rain ruined the final in Dhaka. The weather stayed true to forecasts, as it began to rain at around 5pm local time, an hour before the scheduled start, and continued to rain till the umpires called off the game at 9pm. By then, both sides were milling around the ground for the latest updates, and upon being informed by the umpires of their decision, they shook hands.The covers never came off although the crowd nearly filled up the stands by the time of the scheduled start at 6.00pm. There was definite hope among the spectators that despite the incessant rain, play would be possible. Three years ago during the Asia Cup final, even a storm and heavy rain for nearly an hour didn’t cause the match to be abandoned. However, this time it was steady rain which usually doesn’t stop easily.Bangladesh finished with three wins in the four games, but they never looked too comfortable. Coach Russell Domingo said on the eve of the final that they were yet to play their perfect game. Afghanistan won two games, and lost the last two that snapped their record-breaking 12-match winning streak in T20Is.They will leave these shores happy though, after having won the one-off Test in Chattogram earlier in the month, and dominated a more established cricket nation overall on tour.

Glasgow Rangers are clearly up for the fight of battling on three fronts between now and May, as they secured an excellent 2-2 against Benfica on Thursday.

With Philippe Clement having to rejig his starting XI due to injuries, the Light Blues delivered a solid performance in Lisbon, and they are in with a great chance of progressing to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The games are coming thick and fast for the Ibrox side, as they face Hibs for a place in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup this Sunday, meaning the Belgian will have to rotate some of his squad in order to maintain freshness.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, it is clear that Clement will need to improve his squad and add some depth, as injuries this season have come close to derailing the team on numerous occasions.

This could see several fringe players being moved on in the summer transfer window, with Scott Wright being a prime example of someone who should be brutally ditched.

Scott Wright’s future at Rangers

The Scottish winger has been at Ibrox since January 2021, when Steven Gerrard snapped him up from Aberdeen on deadline day.

He had signed a pre-contract agreement with Rangers the month before, but Gerrard brought him in early to give his side a boost as they chased the title.

“It is very pleasing to have Scott for the rest of this season. This will give him the opportunity to gain some valuable game time in a blue shirt for the rest of the season.” Said the manager upon his arrival and Wright would make 13 appearances between then and the end of the season as the Gers secured their first league title in a decade.

Fast-forward three years and Wright is still at Rangers, although he was close to leaving last summer. Under Michael Beale, it was apparent the winger was not in any future plans and when Turkish side Pendikspor came in with a £500k bid for the player, it looked like a no-brainer for either party.

A few weeks later, however, the move had collapsed due to his wage demands and the former Aberdeen gem was going to remain in Glasgow, until January at least, and fight for his place in the side.

Scott Wright’s statistics at Rangers

After half a season at Ibrox, Wright looked set to force his way into the starting XI during the 2021/22 campaign. He scored twice in the opening couple of weeks of the season, which indicated an encouraging start.

Overall, Wright made 37 appearances and scored seven goals – including one in the Scottish Cup final against Hearts – as he emerged as a decent squad option, but the following season wasn’t quite as productive.

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2023/24

25

2

0

2022/23

34

0

2

2021/22

37

7

3

2020/21

13

1

2

Via Transfermarkt

The winger made just eight starts in all competitions, failing to score while grabbing just two assists, and he began to slip further down the pecking order under Beale, leading to his potential exit to Turkey last summer.

The 26-year-old has failed to impress Clement this term, despite scoring twice since the Belgian coach arrived, but the right wing is an area that clearly needs strengthening this summer.

Wright currently ranks 21st in the squad for big chances created (one) in the top flight this term, along with ranking 16th for key passes per game (0.6) and 16th for successful dribbles per game (0.4), which suggests that even when he is unleashed, the winger is failing to have any sort of meaningful impact in matches in the final third.

The £5.6k-per-week liability has been outshined by Dujon Sterling on the right flank as the Englishman, who is a right-back by trade, is proving to be a more attractive option right now on the wing.

Dujon Sterling is impressing out wide for Rangers

The emergence of Ross McCausland has been the big talking point of this season, as he is beginning to blossom by starting most matches on the right flank.

Sterling, however, is a more than capable backup option and certainly offers more going forward than Wright.

The former Chelsea starlet has operated in numerous positions this term, including left-back, central midfield, and even on the left wing, but his performance against Benfica on Thursday evening was solid.

Not only did he score his first-ever senior goal against the Portuguese outfit, but the 24-year-old looked lively during the clash and was even able to offer plenty of defensive support by making an interception and a tackle along with winning 50% of his total duels.

This was not the first time he had been deployed as an option out wide under Clement. Against St Johnstone last month, Sterling actually came on at half-time for Wright in order to give the Gers something extra and the substitution worked a treat.

During the opening 45 minutes, Wright had completed just eight passes, took 21 touches, and lost possession nine times, while failing to get a shot on target or deliver a successful cross into the box.

Sterling, however, took 26 touches, made one key pass, delivered an accurate cross, and even won a penalty from which James Tavernier converted.

More importantly, he looked a lot brighter and eager to get involved compared to Wright, which is made even more remarkable considering this was not his natural position.

Since that 3-0 win, the Scot has been restricted to just three cameo appearances from the bench, whereas Sterling was trusted with a starting slot against Benfica.

The 26-year-old does have another year left on his current contract, meaning this summer could be the best time to sell him on and secure a decent fee for the winger.

Otherwise, he will be free to open talks with another club next January, whereas securing a transfer fee for him will allow Clement to use this for more signings to bolster his squad.

Wright has had a couple of standout moments at Rangers over the previous three years, but his spell in Glasgow has been underwhelming overall, and it looks as though the next few months could well be his final farewell.

The Belgian boss should now brutally ditch the Scottish winger from his roster ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, given his underperformance and Sterling's surprising displays in his position.

Australia are huge favourites for the series, but Sri Lanka hope to be able to push them in Sydney

Andrew McGlashan28-Sep-2019Sri Lanka T20I captain Chamari Atapattu will encourage her team to take a positive approach against Australia and not be overawed by the challenge of facing such a powerful side on their home turf.The three-match series begins at North Sydney Oval on Sunday with the form book suggesting that the matches will be one-sided affairs with Australia pulling away at the top of tree in the women’s game after a 12-month period that has seen them win the T20 World Cup, beat New Zealand, retain the Ashes convincingly and, most recently, go unbeaten in the Caribbean.But Atapattu has a simple message for her players: “I always told my girls, play freely, play positive.””We all know Australia are the best team in the world, they’ve beaten England in the Ashes and West Indies in their home,” she pointed out. “We will try to play to our potential and play our normal game. Our preparation has been really good in Sri Lanka, we have good players, some experience and some new players. If we play our normal, free game we have a chance.”There is a bigger picture, too, for Sri Lanka with this tour offering valuable preparation ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Sri Lanka are in a tough group for that tournament alongside the hosts, India, New Zealand and Bangladesh.”This tour is very important for us because of the T20 World Cup in February so it’s good preparation, playing the best team in the world in their home conditions,” Atapattu said. “We have brought a couple of players to try before the T20 World Cup so it’s a good opportunity for us.”Atapattu, along with the experienced Shashikala Siriwardene, who takes over the captaincy for the ODIs which follow in Brisbane, will be key in the batting with Atapattu also picking out 21-year-old Harshitha Madavi as a batsman to watch. “The T20 format is very open. We have a good batting unit. I’ve played KSL, Big Bash and IPL overseas in this format so have good experience so I share my knowledge with our batters,” Atapattu added.The last time these two sides met was during the 2017 World Cup in England when Atapattu scored a brilliant 178 – an innings which she said “changed my life” – and this is only the second bilateral series between the teams following Australia’s 2016 tour.Australia’s vice-captain Rachael Haynes, doing pre-series duties in place of Meg Lanning who was attending the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, admitted that there is an element of the unknown that they have to deal with. “We don’t play a lot of cricket against Sri Lanka so to have a standalone series is unique in its own respect,” she said. “The last time we played them was a couple of years ago at the World Cup where Atapattu got a pretty decent hundred against us, so we won’t be underestimating them at all.”There is a strong chance that every player in Australia’s squad will be given an outing during the three matches with an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup. That would mean a debut for Heather Graham, who took 3 for 17 for the Cricket Australia XI in Sri Lanka’s warm-up match on Friday which the Sri Lankans won in a Super Over.”The team showed their hand a little with that in series gone by [against West Indies] and it’s good to see players like Erin Burns get an opportunity,” Haynes said. “Heather Graham was unlucky to miss out in the Caribbean. Given there is a World Cup coming up, without getting too far ahead of ourselves potentially there will be opportunities for players to play different roles at different stages. That’s exciting for our team.”

Glasgow Rangers suffered a shock defeat at Ibrox this afternoon as the chance to go five points clear at the top of the Premiership eluded them.

The Gers had to come back from a one-goal deficit in midweek to secure a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock, and they conceded an early goal once again today, as Motherwell drew first blood.

Philippe Clement’s men had plenty of chances to grab an equaliser in the first half, but failed to do so and another big team talk was required.

James Tavernier scored a trademark penalty after an effort by Cyriel Dessers was ruled out, yet the Steelmen scored with 15 minutes remaining, and they secured all three points in Glasgow.

The defence has been rock solid in recent months, but both John Souttar and Connor Goldson were off it today.

Goldson and Souttar's performance in numbers vs Motherwell

Goldson and Souttar were bullied by Motherwell attacker Theo Blair throughout the encounter, with the forward opening the scoring in the first ten minutes.

Between them, the duo lost possession 25 times throughout the match and never truly looked comfortable as Well had a solid grip on the game, especially during the latter stages.

It was not just the defence which let Clement down, however, as the club had more than enough chances to win the tie but could not convert several excellent chances.

Once again, it was Dessers who missed various opportunities in front of goal and while he may have 16 goals this term, he has also missed 20 big chances in the top flight, which explains everything.

Cyriel Dessers’ statistics vs Motherwell

The Nigerian striker was recalled to the starting XI in place of Fabio Silva from the midweek win, and despite looking keen to make an impact, he failed to create any meaningful chances for either himself or the team.

Not only that, but he also made fewer passes than Jack Butland, completing just 11 during his time on the pitch (Butland made 12) along with failing to get a shot on target, succeeding with zero dribble attempts, taking just 29 touches and winning only one duel.

Cyriel Dessers vs Theo Blair this afternoon at Ibrox

Metric

Dessers

Blair

Goals

0

1

Shots on target

0

2

Key passes

2

1

Touches

29

37

Dribble attempts (succeeded)

1 (0)

2 (1)

Via Sofascore

It was another dismal performance for a player who was expected to score goals aplenty for the Light Blues, but when the pressure was on, Dessers failed to turn up.

The 29-year-old also had a goal ruled out due to him straying offside, which occurred three times during the contest, and if the Gers are going to win the league this term, they need to find someone who leads the line more effectively.

There were always going to be bumps in the road during the final few months of the season and the fact that Rangers are still in a title race proves how well Clement has dragged the Gers back from the doldrums.

Motherwell were better than the Ibrox side this afternoon, no doubt about that. The question now is, how will the squad respond when they face Benfica on Thursday evening?

This afternoon, Manchester United will look to beat Fulham for the fifth time in a row.

Bruno Fernandes has been Erik ten Hag's hero in this fixture since the manager's arrival, scoring four goals in four games against Marco Silva's side.

The Red Devils' captain will lead his side tomorrow, but one player who will not feature at all is Luke Shaw, who is set to miss almost all of the season from this point on due to a leg injury.

With Tyrell Malacia still out injured – and with Sergio Reguilon having departed the club in January following his brief loan spell – United have no left back available in the squad, which may lead to the former Ajax boss being slightly creative with his back four.

The ways Man Utd could replace Luke Shaw

When Shaw was replaced at half-time against Aston Villa and moments before the break versus Luton Town, Ten Hag called upon Victor Lindelof to fill in at an unnatural left-back role.

As a right-footed centre-half who isn't blessed with speed, athleticism, or physicality, this has the potential to be taken advantage of by Fulham on Saturday, just like the Hatters did at the weekend.

During the second period, the Swedish defender was exposed both off the ball and on it, as highlighted by his 50% pass accuracy, zero duels won, and his yellow card for a rash challenge.

The passing aspect is a huge concern because Lindelof always looks to come inside on his right foot, which makes the team extremely vulnerable to the press.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, there is a player who has been dubbed "super talented" by journalist Julien Laurens who could come into the side and not only fix the left-back issue but also be an upgrade on Lindelof at the same time.

The reasons why Willy Kambwala should start v Fulham

19-year-old Willy Kambwala has already been handed some first-team action this season by Ten Hag, with the French defender making four appearances across all competitions.

The highly-rated gem is a centre-back by trade, but in his last two outings he has been subbed on as a right-back and quietly impressed despite going under the radar slightly.

In just eight minutes against Newport County in the FA Cup, Kambwala showed his excellent defensive ability, physicality, and dominance, making two clearances, one tackle, and winning five of his six duels, including all four of his aerial battles.

The United academy star has also already made his first Premier League start in the 2-0 away loss to West Ham United, but his showing was impressive for someone of his experience, and an away day to the Hammers is never an easy trip.

However, during that match, he did show another side of his game, which would make him suited to the right-back role this weekend, with his confidence on the ball standing out as well as his ball retention. The table below shows his key stats from that match.

Minutes

84

Passes completed

78

Pass accuracy

90%

Touches

95

Clearances

3

Kambwala's inclusion in the starting XI would see the usual right-back, Diogo Dalot, move to left-back, with the Portugal international having regularly lined up in that role under Ten Hag's watch.

In truth, neither Lindelof nor Kambwala are the answer to Ten Hag's Shaw dilemma in the long-term, but the young prospect is perhaps far more suited to lining up at full-back than the experienced Swede.

Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulled off a simply outrageous stop to deny Christoph Baumgartner an equaliser at Euro 2024.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Turkey see off Austria 2-1.
• Goalkeeper pulls off heroic late save
• Set up quarter-final clash with the Netherlands

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  There was plenty of drama at Euro 2024 on Tuesday as Turkey beat Austria 2-1 in the last 16. Two goals from Merih Demiral did the damage but Turkey were also indebted to goalkeeper Gunok who pulled off an incredible late save to preserve the win.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ralf Rangnick's side showed early promise in the tournament as they qualified for the knockout rounds after topping their group that had European giants like France and Netherlands. After narrowly losing to Les Bleus in their tournament opener, Das Team came back strongly to register back-to-back wins against Poland and the Dutch. Their journey, however, ended on Tuesday as Demiral's early strikes sealed the deal for the Turks.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TURKEY?

  The Crescent-Stars will be next seen in action against an in-form Dutch side in the quarter-final on Saturday night. Ronaldo Koeman's side made it to the last-eight stage by thrashing Romania earlier today.

Australia are huge favourites for the series, but Sri Lanka hope to be able to push them in Sydney

Andrew McGlashan28-Sep-2019Sri Lanka T20I captain Chamari Atapattu will encourage her team to take a positive approach against Australia and not be overawed by the challenge of facing such a powerful side on their home turf.The three-match series begins at North Sydney Oval on Sunday with the form book suggesting that the matches will be one-sided affairs with Australia pulling away at the top of tree in the women’s game after a 12-month period that has seen them win the T20 World Cup, beat New Zealand, retain the Ashes convincingly and, most recently, go unbeaten in the Caribbean.But Atapattu has a simple message for her players: “I always told my girls, play freely, play positive.””We all know Australia are the best team in the world, they’ve beaten England in the Ashes and West Indies in their home,” she pointed out. “We will try to play to our potential and play our normal game. Our preparation has been really good in Sri Lanka, we have good players, some experience and some new players. If we play our normal, free game we have a chance.”There is a bigger picture, too, for Sri Lanka with this tour offering valuable preparation ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Sri Lanka are in a tough group for that tournament alongside the hosts, India, New Zealand and Bangladesh.”This tour is very important for us because of the T20 World Cup in February so it’s good preparation, playing the best team in the world in their home conditions,” Atapattu said. “We have brought a couple of players to try before the T20 World Cup so it’s a good opportunity for us.”Atapattu, along with the experienced Shashikala Siriwardene, who takes over the captaincy for the ODIs which follow in Brisbane, will be key in the batting with Atapattu also picking out 21-year-old Harshitha Madavi as a batsman to watch. “The T20 format is very open. We have a good batting unit. I’ve played KSL, Big Bash and IPL overseas in this format so have good experience so I share my knowledge with our batters,” Atapattu added.The last time these two sides met was during the 2017 World Cup in England when Atapattu scored a brilliant 178 – an innings which she said “changed my life” – and this is only the second bilateral series between the teams following Australia’s 2016 tour.Australia’s vice-captain Rachael Haynes, doing pre-series duties in place of Meg Lanning who was attending the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, admitted that there is an element of the unknown that they have to deal with. “We don’t play a lot of cricket against Sri Lanka so to have a standalone series is unique in its own respect,” she said. “The last time we played them was a couple of years ago at the World Cup where Atapattu got a pretty decent hundred against us, so we won’t be underestimating them at all.”There is a strong chance that every player in Australia’s squad will be given an outing during the three matches with an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup. That would mean a debut for Heather Graham, who took 3 for 17 for the Cricket Australia XI in Sri Lanka’s warm-up match on Friday which the Sri Lankans won in a Super Over.”The team showed their hand a little with that in series gone by [against West Indies] and it’s good to see players like Erin Burns get an opportunity,” Haynes said. “Heather Graham was unlucky to miss out in the Caribbean. Given there is a World Cup coming up, without getting too far ahead of ourselves potentially there will be opportunities for players to play different roles at different stages. That’s exciting for our team.”

حقق المنتخب الأرجنتيني فوزًا كاسحًا على نظيره البوليفي، بسداسية نظيفة، كان لـ ميسي نصيب الأسد منها، ضمن تصفيات كأس العالم لقارة أمريكا الجنوبية.

المباراة جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن الجولة العاشرة من تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية والتي يتصدرها المنتخب الأرجنتيني، على ملعب المونيمونتال بمدينة بيونيس آيرس الأرجنتينية.

في الدقيقة 19 افتتح ميسي التسجيل بعد خطأ دفاعي مع ضغط لاوتارو مارتينيز، ليسجل الهدف الأول بالقدم اليسرى في شباك الضيوف.

قبل نهاية الشوط الأول، استلم ميسي تمريرة ألفاريز وانفرد بالمرمى، ولكنه أظهر انكار ذات رائع في تمرير الكرة لـ لاوتارو مارتينيز ليسجل مهاجم إنتر أمام الشباك الخالية في الدقيقة 43.

طالع أيضًا | “أرضية قبيحة”.. رد فعل غاضب من ميسي بعد تعادل الأرجنتين مع فنزويلا

البعض توقع نهاية الشوط بهذه النتيجة، ولكن في الوقت بدل الضائع، سجل جوليان ألفاريز الهدف الثالث لمصلحة المنتخب الأرجنتيني بعد خطأ في الرقابة الدفاعية للمنتخب البوليفي، بصناعة ليونيل ميسي.

شوط أول انتهى بتسجيل ميسي هدف وصناعته هدفين، ليبدأ الشوط الثاني، ويواصل أسطورة التانجو نثر خيوط سحره في الملعب.

في الدقيقة 70، مرر باريديس الكرة لـ مولينا الذي لمسها في اتجاه ألمادا، ومن لمسة واحدة سجل الهدف الرابع في شباك بوليفيا.

تأتي الدقيقة 83، يستلم ميسي الكرة وينطلق ويراوغ الدفاع، ويذكر الجميع بما كان يفعله بقميص برشلونة، ويسدد بالقدم اليمنى ليسجل هدفه الثاني، والخامس لمنتخب بلاده.

3 دقائق وربما أٌقل، تبادل رائع للكرة مع جوليان ألفاريز، يمر ميسي ويسدد بالقدم اليسرى هذه المرة، لتسكن كرة الهاتريك شباك نظيره البوليفي.

تلك النتيجة رفعت رصيد المنتخب الأرجنتيني إلى 22 نقطة في صدارة ترتيب تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية، بينما بوليفيا فقد توقف رصيدها عند 12 نقطة في المركز السابع. أهداف مباراة الأرجنتين وبوليفيا في تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية لكأس العالم