Argentina didn’t miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and other key players on Friday and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match.
Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from its direct spot in the tournament next year.
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Fans of Argentina celebrate as their team defeated Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Argentina's Julian Alvarez, left, and Uruguay's Mathias Olivera battle for the ball during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Argentina's Thiago Almada poses for a photo at the end of a qualifying soccer match against Uruguay for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Argentina players celebrate defeating Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Uruguay and Argentina players argue during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Argentina's Thiago Almada celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Uruguay's Maximiliano Araujo, left, and Argentina's Nahuel Molina battle for the ball during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Venezuela's Jhonder Cadiz, left, celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Ecuador during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
Ecuador players celebrate after their teammate Enner Valencia scores his side's opening goal against Venezuela during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
Ecuador's Enner Valencia celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Venezuela during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
Argentina leads the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure its place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition.
The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again.
Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 points, has the sixth position.
The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.
Argentina had to accommodate key absences beyond Messi. Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul did not play in Montevideo. So coach Lionel Scaloni gave a place to Giuliano Simeone in the starting lineup, with Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada up front.
Uruguay, playing in a full Centenario Stadium against its archrival, took the initiative and had the clearest chances in the first half. But Argentina managed to hold its ground and started getting the better opportunities after halftime.
Almada's goal in the 68th minute, after Argentina had wasted several other opportunities in front of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, still didn't push Uruguay forward as Marcelo Bielsa's team finished the match with only four shots on goal.
“I was a little anxious, very willing to play and to show why I was making the squad,” said Almada, a world champion with Argentina in 2022. “Now we have to rest and wait for this match against Brazil, they will rest one more day than us.”
Argentina's Nico González will miss the match against Brazil. He was sent off after a challenge against Nahitan Nández in injury time.
Brazil has selection problems of its own for Tuesday's match at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium, as starting goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhães and midfielder Bruno Guimarães are all ineligible to play.
Argentina coach Scaloni celebrated his team's performance despite so many absences.
“We made a complete match, we absorbed the pressure. When we had to play, we did it. And when we had to defend, we did it too,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I am happy not only for our win, but also for how the team behaves.”
Uruguay will have a chance to recover against Bolivia on Tuesday. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.
Enner Valencia, Ecuador's all-time top goal-scorer, added another two to his tally on Friday.
The striker broke through the Venezuelan defense in the 39th minute and scored with a powerful right-footed shot from an acute angle. In the first minute of the second half, he added the second after a run on the left flank ended in a classy poach over goalkeeper Rafael Romo.
Valencia could have had a third from the spot in the 69th but he missed it.
Jhonder Cádiz scored for Venezuela in injury time.
Venezuela has not won for nine straight games and remains in eighth place. The team still has a chance of qualifying for the first time in history.
Ecuador started the competition with a three-point deficit due to fielding Byron Castillo, who was actually Colombian and ineligible to play in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Now it is close to returning to the tournament in with a steady, confident squad.
Ecuador will travel to play 10th-placed Chile on Tuesday. Venezuela will play host to 9th-placed Peru.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Fans of Argentina celebrate as their team defeated Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Argentina's Julian Alvarez, left, and Uruguay's Mathias Olivera battle for the ball during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Argentina's Thiago Almada poses for a photo at the end of a qualifying soccer match against Uruguay for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Argentina players celebrate defeating Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Uruguay and Argentina players argue during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Argentina's Thiago Almada celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Uruguay's Maximiliano Araujo, left, and Argentina's Nahuel Molina battle for the ball during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)
Venezuela's Jhonder Cadiz, left, celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Ecuador during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
Ecuador players celebrate after their teammate Enner Valencia scores his side's opening goal against Venezuela during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
Ecuador's Enner Valencia celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Venezuela during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Patricio Teran)
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah almost four months ago.
The rockets fired from Lebanon were the second ones launched since December and again sparked concern about whether the ceasefire would hold. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the latest attack, saying it was committed to the truce.
Israel had said it would respond “severely” to the early Saturday attack targeting northern Israel. Israel's army said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula. An Israeli official said six rockets were fired and three crossed into Israeli territory and were intercepted.
The official said Israel could not confirm the identity of the group that fired the rockets. The official said the military struck targets across southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike in the southern village of Touline killed two people and wounded eight others.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said it instructed the army to act forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and sovereignty.” Israel’s army said it struck dozens of rocket launchers and a command center where Hezbollah was operating.
In a statement, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south but said the country did not want to return to war.
Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out war in September as Israel carried out massive waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.
Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January under a ceasefire struck on Nov. 27. The deadline was extended to Feb. 18.
But Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon, across from communities in northern Israel. It has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah, while continuing drone attacks that have killed several members of the militant group.
Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the country.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it was alarmed at the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made.
The strikes came a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza “with increasing intensity” until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds — 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the bodies.
“Rubble and glass started falling on us,” said Sameh al-Mashharawi, who lost his brother in the attack. He mourned with his young nephew Samir al-Mashharawi, whose parents and siblings were killed. The 12-year-old, his head and wrists bandaged, sat in the back of a truck and cried.
Israel's military said Friday its forces were planning fresh assaults into three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued warnings on social media for Palestinians to evacuate the areas.
Around 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel relaunched the war earlier this week. Israel had already cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.
The international community has condemned the resumed attacks.
The initial 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not say how many were militants but says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Shurafa reported from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Mourners carry the bodies of Al-Mashharawi family members, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home, at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Mourners react over the bodies of Al-Mashharawi family members, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home, at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians mourn over the bodies of Al-Mashharawi family members, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home, at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians mourn over the bodies of Al-Mashharawi family members, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home, at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Mourners carry the bodies of Al-Mashharawi family members, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home, at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Displaced Palestinians kids play soccer at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Displaced Palestinians kids play soccer at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
People walking surrounded by buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip are seen from southern Israel, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
FILE - Ronen Bar, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool photo via AP, File)
In this image made from a video released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Israeli Government Press Office via AP)
Palestinians carry bundles of wood as they walk along a beach road leaving northern Gaza during the renewed Israeli army offensive in the Gaza Strip, Friday March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip sit in a makeshift tent camp inside a landfill in central Gaza Strip, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israelis attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, and calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Demonstrators block a road during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, in Jerusalem on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians including children who were killed by an Israeli army airstrike, at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza city, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A Palestinian man carries the body of his 11 years old daughter Aya Al-Samri who was killed by an Israeli army airstrike, during her funeral at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza city, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings and other items, move between southern and northern Gaza along a beach road away from the areas where the Israeli army is operating after Israel's renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip, in the outskirts of Gaza City, Friday March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings, wood and other items, move between southern and northern Gaza along a beach road away from the areas where the Israeli army is operating after Israel's renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip, in the outskirts of Gaza City, Friday March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
